Final answer:
The nurse should provide treatment to lower the patient's elevated temperature, which is causing the fever and potentially contributing to the rapid heart rate. Managing the fever will likely help normalize the heart rate, but the nurse should continue to monitor the patient and be ready to administer heart rate-modifying medications if needed.
Step-by-step explanation:
The patient presenting with a fever and rapid heart rate, also known as tachycardia, has normal blood pressure and regular rhythm with normal P waves and QRS complexes on the cardiac monitor. Considering the heart rate (HR) is above 100 beats per minute (bpm), which is the threshold for tachycardia in adults, the nurse should focus on identifying and treating the underlying cause of the observed symptoms. Tachycardia can be associated with various conditions such as fever, anemia, and hyperthyroidism, among others. The fact that the patient has a fever suggests that the increased heart rate is likely a compensatory response to the elevated temperature.
Treatment should aim to address the fever, which may, in turn, help lower the heart rate. Thus, the nurse should focus on providing treatment to lower temperature. This might include administering antipyretic medications such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen, and employing measures to physically cool the patient, like applying cool compresses or utilizing cooling blankets. Once the fever is managed, the heart rate may return to normal. Additionally, the nurse should continue to monitor the patient's vital signs and be prepared to administer medications to manage the heart rate if the fever treatment is not sufficient or the tachycardia is not responsive to fever reduction measures.