Final answer:
For a patient with mitral stenosis and atrial fibrillation, nursing assistive personnel can be delegated to obtain and record the daily weight, observe for overt signs of bleeding, and obtain and record vital signs, including pulse oximetry. More complex tasks should be left to a registered nurse or licensed healthcare professional.
Step-by-step explanation:
A patient diagnosed with mitral stenosis and new-onset atrial fibrillation requires careful monitoring and management. When considering which interventions could be delegated to nursing assistive personnel (NAP), certain tasks can be allocated safely while ensuring that patient care remains within the scope of practice for NAP.
- Obtain and record daily weight: Managing a patient's daily weight is crucial as fluctuations can indicate changes in fluid status, which is particularly important in cardiac conditions.
- Observe for overt signs of bleeding: This is essential due to the increased risk of bleeding associated with certain medications often used in atrial fibrillation, such as anticoagulants.
- Obtain and record vital signs, including pulse oximetry: Vital signs provide a quick snapshot of the patient's hemodynamic status and oxygen saturation, important data points when managing cardiac conditions.
Tasks like determining apical-radial pulse rate and teaching the patient how to purchase a medic alert bracelet require more clinical judgement and knowledge and typically would not be delegated to NAP. These more complex tasks should be performed by the registered nurse or another licensed healthcare professional.