Question

A charge nurse has been asked to determine staff adherence to established standards for post-op vital signs (VS) measurement. Which of the following actions should the nurse take to collect information?

a) Conduct a retrospective chart audit of all surgical clients for the past 6 months.

b) Ask the staff members directly about their adherence to post-op VS measurement standards.

c) Implement a real-time observation of staff performing post-op VS measurements.

d) Distribute a survey to surgical clients to gather their feedback on post-op care, including VS measurements.

Answer 1

To best collect information on staff adherence to established standards for measuring post-op vital signs, implementing a real-time observation is the most accurate method among the options provided.

Step-by-step explanation:

To gather information on the staff's adherence to established standards for post-operative vital signs measurement, a charge nurse could perform a combination of methods. However, the best single option listed is:

• Implement a real-time observation of staff performing post-op VS measurements. This provides the most accurate, real-time data on whether staff members are following protocol.

While conducting a retrospective chart audit could show historical adherence, and asking staff members directly might provide some insights, these methods might be subject to bias or error. Meanwhile, distributing a survey to surgical clients could capture patient perception but not necessarily the accuracy of the staff's adherence.