The nurse is assisting with procedural moderate sedation (conscious sedation) at a client's bedside. The unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP) comes to the door and indicates that the client in the next room needs the nurse right now. How should the nurse respond?
A)Ask the UAP to go back and ask the client what the current needs are
B)Ask the UAP to stay and take over while the nurse goes to check on the client in the next room
C)Tell the UAP to inform the client in the next room that the nurse will be there shortly
D)Tell the UAP to tell the charge nurse about the needs of the client in the next room

Question

The nurse is assisting with procedural moderate sedation (conscious sedation) at a client's bedside.  The unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP) comes to the door and indicates that the client in the next room needs the nurse right now.  How should the nurse respond?
A)Ask the UAP to go back and ask the client what the current needs are
B)Ask the UAP to stay and take over while the nurse goes to check on the client in the next room
C)Tell the UAP to inform the client in the next room that the nurse will be there shortly
D)Tell the UAP to tell the charge nurse about the needs of the client in the next room

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

With procedural moderate sedation at the bedside, the nurse takes on the role of an anesthetist. The nurse's role is to monitor the client's condition while the health care provider focuses on performing the procedure. The nurse should never leave the client during the procedure. The best response is to have an available nurse (the charge nurse) go assess and deal with the needs of the client next door. (Option A) This action would place the UAP in the role of assessing and prioritizing, which is beyond the scope of the UAP's practice. In addition, the nurse must stay in the room and cannot meet the other client's need as a result. (Option B) Taking on the role of assessing/monitoring (related to anesthesia) and/or administering additional intravenous drugs during the procedure is beyond the scope of the UAP's practice. (Option C) The UAP has already communicated that the client's need is urgent. The client should not be kept waiting without further assessment to evaluate the situation. Educational objective: The nurse takes on the role of anesthetist when assisting with bedside procedural moderate sedation and cannot leave the client during the procedure.

The Nurse Is Assisting with Procedural Moderate Sedation (Conscious Sedation)