A Nurse Working in a Hospital Oncology Unit Notices That

A nurse working in a hospital oncology unit notices that the number of lung cancer admissions seems to have increased in a particular zip code. What is the first step the nurse should take to help determine what may be causing the increase?

A) Begin a review of medical records to determine whether there is an actual increase in patients admitted with this diagnosis.
B) Contact the public health department to let them know of the possible increase.
C) Form a team to develop an intervention.
D) Examine possible common exposures among identified cases in the zip code.