A visiting family member of a hospitalized client reports sudden onset of a headache and numbness in half of the body. The visitor asks the nurse to take a blood pressure reading. What is the most appropriate response by the nurse?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Providing care establishes a legal caregiver obligation/relationship between the nurse and the visitor. If a relationship is started, the nurse has a duty to continue care until the visitor is stable or other health care personnel can take over. If proper care is not continued, the nurse could be accused of negligence (ie, failure to act in a prudent manner as would a nurse with similar education/experience). This visitor's symptoms are potentially serious as sudden onset of headache and numbness in half of the body may indicate stroke. In the event of a visitor emergency, the nurse should not establish a caregiver relationship but rather implement facility protocol to help the visitor get to the emergency department promptly to receive immediate assessment and further evaluation (Option B). (Options A and D) Asking the visitor to call the health care provider (HCP) or giving advice to lie down delays the essential assessment and treatment that this visitor with potentially serious symptoms requires. (Option C) When a nurse provides care (eg, takes blood pressure), a client-caregiver relationship is established. The nurse caring for a visitor is ill-equipped to provide care without any HCP prescriptions in place and risks being negligent. Educational objective: Providing care establishes a legal caregiver obligation/relationship between the nurse and a visitor. In the event of a visitor emergency, the nurse should refrain from actions that establish this relationship and instead implement facility protocol to help get the visitor promptly to the emergency department.

A Visiting Family Member of a Hospitalized Client Reports Sudden