Question

A licensed practical/vocational nurse (LP/VN) enters a client's room, finding the bed in high position, both top-side rails down (which violate facility policy) and the call light within reach. There is a puddle of spilt bath water on the floor by the bed. The nurse recognizes that the unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP) stepped out of the room during the bath to gather some linen she forgot. Which action is the priority?

a. Return the bed to low position and place top-side rails up
b. Wipe up the spilled water
c. Discuss the situation with the UAP
d. Write an incident report

Answer 1

The priority action for the nurse is to wipe up the spilled water to prevent anyone from slipping, followed by adjusting the bed and side rails for safety, and then addressing the issue with the UAP and writing an incident report if necessary.

Step-by-step explanation:

When a licensed practical/vocational nurse (LP/VN) finds the bed in a high position with both top-side rails down and notices a puddle of spilled bath water on the floor, the priority action is to address the most immediate safety risk to the patient. In this scenario, wiping up the spilled water is the priority to prevent the client or anyone else from slipping and falling. Once the immediate risk has been mitigated, the nurse should return the bed to low position and place the top-side rails up if indicated for the patient's safety, according to facility policy. Discussing the situation with the unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP) to remind them of facility policies and to prevent future incidents is important, but it comes after ensuring the patient's immediate safety. Writing an incident report may also be necessary, but again, it is not the first priority.