A patient comes to the emergency department and tells the triage nurse that he is "having a heart attack." What is the nurse's top priority at this time?
A) Determine the patient's personal data and insurance coverage.
B) Ask the patient to take a seat in the waiting room until his name is called.
C) Request that a nurse collect data for a comprehensive history.
D) Ask a nurse to start a focused assessment of this patient now.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The nurse needs to begin an assessment as soon as possible that is focused on this patient's cardiovascular system. The type of health assessment performed by the nurse is also driven by patient need. Personal data and insurance information will be obtained, but in this situation, these data can wait until after the patient is assessed. Based also on Maslow's hierarchy of needs, physiologic needs take precedence. Rather than asking the patient to wait, the nurse needs to begin data collection, such as vital signs, immediately to determine the patient's health status. Complications can be prevented if an immediate assessment is made to analyze the patient's symptoms. A comprehensive history is not indicated in this situation at this time. Some subjective data will be collected, such as allergies and medical history related to cardiovascular disease. Eyes, ears, or a complete musculoskeletal or mental health assessment is not a priority at this time.

A Patient Comes to the Emergency Department and Tells the Triage