A nurse is providing care to a group of patients. Which situation will require the nurse to obtain a telephone order?
A) As the nurse and health care provider leave a patient's room, the primary care provider gives the nurse an order.
B) At 0100, a patient's blood pressure drops from 120/80 to 90/50, and the incision dressing is saturated with blood.
C) At 0800, the nurse and health care provider make rounds, and the primary care provider tells the nurse a diet order.
D) A nurse reads an order correctly as written by the health care provider in the patient's medical record.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Telephone orders and verbal orders (VO) usually occur at night or during emergencies (blood pressure dropping); they should be used only when absolutely necessary and not for the sake of convenience. Because the time is 1 AM (0100 military time) and the health care provider is not present, the nurse will need to call the health care provider for a telephone order. A VO involves the health care provider giving orders to a nurse while they are standing in proximity to one another. Just reading an order that is correctly written in the chart does not require a telephone order.

A Nurse Is Providing Care to a Group of Patients