The medical-surgical nurse is assigned to the intensive care unit (ICU). The nurse accepts the hand-off reports and indicates they are not qualified to provide the necessary care. It would be appropriate for the medical-surgical nurse to take which action?
The medical-surgical nurse is assigned to the intensive care unit (ICU). The nurse accepts the hand-off reports and indicates they are not qualified to provide the necessary care. It would be appropriate for the medical-surgical nurse to take which action?
A. Refuse to provide any client care
[2%]
B. Document the concern in the client's medical record
[1%]
C. Notify the primary healthcare provider (PHCP)
[2%]
D. Report the concerns to the nursing supervisor
[94%]
Statistics
Subject/Lesson
Subject
Leadership & Management
Lesson
Ethical/Legal
Client Need
Test Plan
Management of Care
Related Topic
Legal Rights and Responsibilities
Item Type
Item Type
Knowledge/Comprehension
Explanation
Choice D is correct. The nurse has accepted hand-off reports and has a duty owed to the assigned clients. The nurse should immediately notify the nursing supervisor of their concerns. The nurse is obligated to provide care within their scope and expertise. It would be feasible for litigation to occur if the nurse performs an action or cares for a client that is not within their scope/expertise.
Choices A, B, and C are incorrect. The nurse should not refuse to provide care because the nurse has accepted the report. Accepting a client report establishes a duty to the particular client. If a nurse should refuse an assignment, this should occur before the report has been accepted. Documenting this concern (or issue) in the client's medical record would be inappropriate and could expose the nurse to litigation. Only findings and actions directly involving the client should be memorialized in the medical record. The PHCP should not be notified because they are not in charge of client assignments.
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4 Key Topics
RN Delegation
15.7 Delegation
Chain of Command
15.2 Care Coordination & Communication
Additional Info
Staff nurses, nurse managers, and health care facilities all face numerous possibilities of legal liability—as well as dilemmas involving conflicts between clinical and organizational ethics—as a result of short staffing and actions taken in an effort to temporarily solve this problem. Nurses should report dangerously low staffing levels, incorrect mixes of staff for effectively meeting the health care needs of clients, and report incompetent, illegal, or unethical practices to appropriate authorities.
