What Should the Nurse Do?
An older patient has been brought into the emergency room early in the morning after being found unconscious in a park, presumably having been there all night. No identification is on the patient; they are now awake but confused. Their clothes are relatively clean and in good condition, but there are no clues as to the patient’s identity. The patient had soiled themselves prior to admission. The emergency room staff have notified the police and social services that they have an unidentified older female, in case a missing person’s report is filed.
1
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Another patient asks the nurse if they think the patient was without housing. How should the nurse best respond to reflect the value of social justice?
2
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A young nurse is assisting the nurse to care for this patient. She wrinkles her nose in front of the patient when they are helping the patient to undress, and the patient sees her, shrinking back from them in embarrassment. How might the nurse respond to preserve the patient’s dignity?
3
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Lab tests have come back showing a serious infection in the patient’s system, which providers think may be contributing to her confusion. Providers want to start her on a round of antibiotics and request permission from the patient to do so. What should the nurse do to maintain her integrity and protect the patient?
4
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Shara and Bob have been friends since nursing school. They work together on a medical-surgical unit. One evening, Bob was the charge nurse and Shara made a medication error that caused a patient to be transferred to the critical care unit. When completing the paperwork on the transfer, Bob realized the cause had been the medication error that Shara had not reported. When confronted, Shara asked Bob to keep that a secret between the two of them. What should Bob do, and what ethical considerations should he make?
5
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A mother brings a young child into the emergency room with a broken arm saying the child fell off their bike. The mother is crying, and her tears are washing off eye makeup that appears to be covering bruises, and the nurse notices swelling on the mother’s wrist as well. When looking at the patient’s record, the nurse notes this is not the child’s first broken bone. What should the nurse do?
6
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Nurse Taylor works on a busy medical-surgical floor. Taylor has observed the unit is frequently understaffed during evening shifts, resulting in delayed responses to patient needs, longer medication administration times, and increased stress among the nursing staff. Despite attempts to communicate these concerns to the nursing manager, the issue persists, and Taylor is becoming increasingly worried about the impact on patient safety. What should the nurse do?