Brunner & Suddarth's Textbook of Medical-Surgical Nursing 13th Edition by Kerry Cheever, Janice Hinkle

Exercise 1

In the ED, a 63-year-old man tells the triage nurse that he has no insurance ordoctor because he lost his job 3 years ago as a warehouse worker. He presents with achief complaint of increased shortness of breath and a change in the quantity andcolor of his sputum. He says that he usually has little sputum in the morning and thatit is clear, but in the last week it has become yellow in color, continues all day, and isdifficult to cough out.He has become progressively short of breath over the past 5years to the point where he could no longer work. He is dyspneic at rest while sittingon the examination table. He denies asthma, respiratory problems, allergies, and anyoccupational exposures.What are your focused priorities with this patient? Forinstance, what additional questions would you ask him? What are some of thephysical examination findings you might observe or assess? What other tests might beordered to continue to evaluate this patient and why? What resources might beappropriate for this patient before he leaves the hospital?