Chapter 17: Implementing

When the nurse is administering medication, an older adult client states, "Why does everyone keep asking my name? I've been here for days." How should the nurse respond to the client?

"We ask your name to ensure that we are treating the right client."

A nurse is providing care to several assigned clients and decides to delegate the task of morning vital signs to unlicensed assistive personnel. The nurse would assume responsibility and refrain from delegating this task for which client?

A client with a high fever receiving intravenous fluids, antibiotics, and oxygen

The nurse must give instructions before discharge to a 13-year-old in a sickle cell crisis. Three of the client's friends from school are visiting. In order to assure effective instruction, what should the nurse plan to do?

Delay the instruction until the visitors leave.

Which is an independent (nurse-initiated) action?

Helping to allay a client's fears about surgery

The nurse is preparing a client to be discharged from the surgical unit following abdominal surgery. Which intervention will the nurse use to ensure the client's adherence to proper wound care techniques?

Include family members or other caregivers in the education.

Which action should the nurse take to ensure that an unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP) understands the instructions to perform a delegated task?

Instruct the UAP to repeat the instructions to be sure the nurse has communicated clearly.

A client cannot afford the treatment prescribed. Who would be the most appropriate professional for the nurse to involve with the client's care?

Nurse case manager

The nurse is coordinating care for a client with continuous pulse oximetry who requires pharyngeal suctioning. To which staff member should the nurse avoid delegating the task of suctioning?

Nursing assistant who is a nursing student

When the nurse enters the room to assess a client's vital signs, the client insists that the nurse perform handwashing. What is the nurse's most appropriate action?

Praise the client for taking an active role in the client's care.

Which task would be appropriate for the nurse to delegate to an unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP)?

Provide the client with assistance in transferring to the bedside commode.

Before implementing any planned intervention, which action should the nurse take first?

Reassess the client to determine whether the action is needed.

A client with hypertension being seen for follow-up care has a blood pressure of 160/100 mm Hg. The client reports following the treatment regimen closely and that blood pressure readings have been elevated for the last 2 weeks. What is the nurse's most appropriate action?

Report the findings to the physician for further plans.

When caring for a client in the emergency room who has presented with symptoms of a myocardial infarction (MI), the nurse orders laboratory tests and administers medication to the client before the physician has examined the client. For the nurse to be operating within the nurse's scope of practice, what conditions must be present?

The nurse is operating under standing orders for clients with suspected MIs.

The client tells the nurse, "I think the nurse last night may have given me the wrong medication, but I was afraid to say anything." What is the nurse's most appropriate response?

You should always speak up if you have any questions about your care."

A client is diagnosed with hypertension, placed on a low-sodium diet, and given smoking cessation literature. The nurse observes the client eating from a fast food restaurant bag that a family member brought in and the client states, "I don't think I can do this." What is the nurse's first objective when implementing care for this client?

Identify what barriers the client feels are preventing adherence with the plan.