A nurse is looking after a client who has signed an informed consent form for a procedure. Hours before the procedure, the client now says, “I’ve changed my mind and don’t want the procedure.” What should the nurse do in response?

Choice A Reason

In this scenario, the nurse is assuming the role of a manager. By referring the family to the hospital social worker, the nurse is coordinating care and ensuring that the family receives the necessary support and resources. This action demonstrates the nurse’s ability to manage the overall care plan, delegate tasks, and utilize the expertise of other healthcare professionals to provide comprehensive care. The managerial role involves overseeing patient care, making decisions, and facilitating communication among the healthcare team.

Choice B Reason

While the nurse’s action could also be seen as demonstrating leadership qualities, the primary role in this context is managerial. Leadership involves guiding and inspiring others, which can be part of the nurse’s responsibilities. However, the specific action of referring the family to the social worker is more aligned with managing and coordinating care rather than leading a team or initiative.

Choice C Reason

The laissez-faire leadership style is characterized by a hands-off approach, where leaders provide minimal direction and allow team members to make decisions independently. This style is not applicable in this scenario, as the nurse is actively involved in coordinating care and ensuring that the family receives appropriate support. The nurse’s proactive approach does not align with the laissez-faire style.

Choice D Reason

The role of a follower involves taking direction from others and supporting the implementation of decisions made by leaders. In this scenario, the nurse is not merely following instructions but is actively managing the situation by referring the family to the social worker. This action demonstrates initiative and responsibility, which are characteristics of a managerial role rather than a follower role.

Choice A Reason:

Clinical Decision Support (CDS) systems are designed to provide healthcare professionals with knowledge and patient-specific information, intelligently filtered or presented at appropriate times, to enhance patient care. In this scenario, the CDS system generates an alert about the patient’s tetanus immunization status, prompting the nurse to take necessary actions. CDS systems are integral in improving healthcare quality and safety by ensuring that critical information is available when needed.

Choice B Reason:

Electronic Health Records (EHRs) are digital versions of patients’ paper charts and contain comprehensive patient data, including medical history, diagnoses, medications, treatment plans, immunization dates, and test results. While EHRs store the information that the CDS system uses to generate alerts, they do not independently produce alerts about specific clinical actions like immunization status. The alert functionality is typically a feature of the CDS system integrated within the EHR.

Choice C Reason:

WL Technology is not a recognized term in the context of healthcare technology. It appears to be a typographical error or a misunderstanding. Therefore, it does not apply to the scenario described and cannot be considered a valid option.

Choice D Reason:

Computerized Provider Order Entry (CPOE) systems allow healthcare providers to enter and manage orders for medications, laboratory tests, and other services electronically. While CPOE systems can improve the accuracy and efficiency of order processing, they do not typically generate alerts about immunization status. Such alerts are more commonly associated with CDS systems that analyze patient data and provide clinical recommendations.