A nurse completes an incident/occurrence report after a patient falls.
What is the reason for this report?
To prevent the patient from filing a malpractice lawsuit.
To aid in the hospital's quality improvement program.
To compare patient fall rates between nursing units in the hospital.
To provide justification for the hospital to fire the nurse.
The Correct Answer is B
Choice A rationale
An incident report primarily focuses on documenting the facts of an event, not on preventing lawsuits. While a thorough report might indirectly help in legal defense by providing a clear record, its main purpose isn't legal protection. Legal strategies are separate from the incident reporting process.
Choice B rationale
Incident reports are crucial for a healthcare facility's quality improvement initiatives. By systematically documenting occurrences like patient falls, the hospital can analyze trends, identify potential risks and contributing factors, and implement strategies to prevent similar incidents in the future, thereby enhancing patient safety and care quality.
Choice C rationale
While incident reports from various units might be reviewed and compared as part of a broader quality improvement effort, the primary reason for completing an individual incident report is not solely for comparing fall rates between units. The immediate goal is to document the specific incident and identify local contributing factors.
Choice D rationale
Incident reports are designed to document events objectively. They are not primarily used as a basis for disciplinary action against a nurse. Disciplinary processes would involve a separate investigation to determine if negligence or policy violations occurred, based on various sources of information, not just the incident report.
Nursing Test Bank
Naxlex Comprehensive Predictor Exams
Related Questions
Correct Answer is A
Explanation
Choice A rationale
Assessing the patient's respiratory status with auscultation of lung sounds and pulse oximetry provides immediate and critical information about the severity of the shortness of breath and the patient's oxygenation. This data is essential for guiding immediate interventions and further assessment. Normal pulse oximetry is typically 95-100%.
Choice B rationale
Telling the patient the physician will be in shortly does not address the immediate distress of acute shortness of breath and delays necessary assessment and intervention. It offers false reassurance without taking any immediate action.
Choice C rationale
While ensuring patient privacy is important, it is not the priority action in a situation of acute shortness of breath. Addressing the immediate physiological compromise takes precedence over privacy concerns at the initial moment of assessment.
Choice D rationale
Reassuring the patient that the shortness of breath will be relieved shortly, without any assessment or intervention, is inappropriate and potentially dangerous. It does not address the underlying cause and may delay necessary treatment.
Correct Answer is A
Explanation
Choice A rationale
"The patient has a fractured right tibia with a cast that was applied 2 days ago" provides the Background, giving relevant history about the patient's current condition. "The nurse requests that the primary health provider examine the patient" is the Recommendation, suggesting a course of action based on the assessment. "The patient reported his pain as a 7 on a 0-10 pain scale 1 hour after he received Norco 10mg PO" describes the Situation, highlighting the current problem or change in condition. "The patient's toes are cool and pale, and the patient reports that the foot feels numb" is the Assessment, presenting the nurse's findings and interpretation of the patient's status.
Choice B rationale
This option incorrectly assigns the documentation entries to the SBAR components. The fractured tibia and cast history are background, not the immediate situation. The pain report after medication is the situation, not background. The recommendation is correctly identified, but the cool, pale, numb toes are the assessment, not the recommendation.
Choice C rationale
This option misidentifies the components. The cool, pale, numb toes are assessment findings, not the situation. The pain report after medication is the situation, not background. The fractured tibia and cast history are background, not the assessment. The request for provider examination is the recommendation.
Choice D rationale
This option incorrectly orders the SBAR components. The request for provider examination is the recommendation, not the situation. The cool, pale, numb toes are the assessment, not the background. The pain report after medication is the situation. The fractured tibia and cast history are background. .
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