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 they 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 they 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 or the contacting the family is not appropriate.

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