In January,a nurse is listening to colleagues talk about the increase in depressed patients asking for help from their physicians recently.The incidence of complaints of depression was higher in the last month than in the previous 3 months.Based on this data,which of the following would be the next step for the nurse to take?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Typically,any unusual increase in incidence should be investigated.But in the majority of cases the increased incidence occurs naturally and/or is predictable when compared with the consistent patterns of previous outbreaks.Many illnesses are seasonal.Seasonal affective disorder (depression)often worsens during the shorter periods of daylight in the winter.The nurse should recognize that depression can be seasonal and not attribute this problem to an error in the data that has been collected.Because this is being recongized as a seasonal problem,there is no need for the nurse to take action.However,the nurse should continue to monitor the data to make sure that this trend does not continue as the weather begins to warm and more hours of daylight occur.

In January,a Nurse Is Listening to Colleagues Talk About the Increase