The nurse enters a patient's room to complete the discharge paperwork and finds the patient in tears.The patient reports that someone from the business office stated the patient could not leave the hospital until the bill was paid.What is the best nursing action?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The best action is to comfort the patient and continue the discharge preparations.If the patient's claim is accurate,this could be false imprisonment (wrongfully making someone believe that he/she cannot leave a place).The nurse's best action is to comfort the patient and continue the discharge preparations.However,this should also be reported to the supervisor.Calling the social worker may be needed if the patient does not have the resources to pay the bill so the social worker can help explore options.Contacting the family is not appropriate.

The Nurse Enters a Patient's Room to Complete the Discharge