When admitting a client who has just arrived on the medical unit with severe abdominal pain, what should the nurse do first?
A)Complete only basic demographic data before addressing the client's abdominal pain.
B)Medicate the client for the abdominal pain before attending to the health history and examination.
C)Inform the client that the abdominal pain will be treated as soon as the health history is completed.
D)Take the initial vital signs and then deal with the abdominal pain before completing the health history.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The client priority in this situation will be to decrease the pain level because the client will be unlikely to cooperate in providing demographic data or the health history until the nurse addresses the pain. However, obtaining information about vital signs is essential before using either pharmacological or nonpharmacological therapies for pain control. The vital signs may indicate hemodynamic instability that would need to be addressed immediately.

When Admitting a Client Who Has Just Arrived on the Medical