Question

You and your coworker, Eve, are nurses in the hospital's emergency department. A senior patient comes to the department complaining of chest pains. You notice that Eve measures the patient's vitals before asking for the patient's medical history, which is the opposite of what you learned during training. What should you do?

A.
Let Eve continue helping the patient and discuss the order of events with her afterward.

B.
Report Eve's action to your supervisor immediately.

C.
Immediately remind Eve that she needs to ask about the patient's medical history.

D.
Interrupt Eve's procedure so you can ask the patient about her medical history.

Answer 1

The correct course of action is to prioritize patient care by allowing Eve to complete the vital signs measurement, followed by a professional discussion afterward about the correct procedures and the importance of a patient's medical history.

Step-by-step explanation:

In a medical setting, the main priority is patient safety and the quality of care provided. When Eve, another nurse, begins to measure a patient's vitals before getting a medical history, it is important to address the situation in a manner that does not compromise patient care or create unnecessary disruption.

Considering options A and C, the best approach would be to let Eve finish measuring the patient's vitals, as they are critical in assessing the patient's current condition, especially with chest pain complaints which could indicate a life-threatening situation like a myocardial infarction. After the initial assessment and stabilization of the patient, you can then discuss the importance of a medical history with Eve, allowing for an opportunity to learn and improve future care without affecting the current patient's treatment.