Your patient is a 78-year-old woman who has had shoulder surgery. She is leaving rehabilitation at the end of the week. She lives alone and has a history of falls, and you need to teach her how to get up from the floor if she should fall at home. Which of the following is most important to consider when determining which strategy to teach her?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The most important factor to consider when teaching a patient how to get up from the floor is their strength and range of motion. This will determine what strategies are safe and practical for them to use. While having a personal medical emergency response unit and considering the layout of the patient's home are important, they are secondary to the patient's physical abilities. Blood pressure is also important to monitor, but it is not directly related to learning how to get up from the floor.

Your Patient Is a 78-Year-Old Woman Who Has Had Shoulder