Question

An assistive personnel (AP) reports to the nurse that a client who is 3 days postoperative following an abdominal hysterectomy has a dressing that is saturated with blood. Which of the following tasks should the nurse delegate to the AP?

A) Change the abdominal dressing.
B) Obtain vital signs.
C) Palpate for possible bladder distention.
D) Observe the incision site.

Answer 1

The nurse should delegate the task of observing the incision site to the AP.

Step-by-step explanation:

The nurse should delegate the task of Observe the incision site to the AP. While it is within the nurse's scope of practice to change the abdominal dressing, the fact that the dressing is saturated with blood indicates a potential issue that requires immediate assessment. The AP can be assigned to observe the incision site for any signs of increased bleeding or infection, while the nurse addresses the issue and determines appropriate action.