Which intervention for VTE care and prevention can the RN delegate to the nursing assistant?
Evaluate the effect of anticoagulant drugs by monitoring appropriate laboratory results and side effects of therapy
Help ambulatory patients to walk at least 4 to 6 times daily.
Teach patients at risk for VTE about preventive measures
Assess patients for VTE risk and monitor for VTE in at-risk patients
The Correct Answer is B
Choice A reason: Evaluating anticoagulants requires interpreting labs like PT/INR and assessing bleeding, a skilled nursing task. Delegation to an assistant is inappropriate, as it demands clinical judgment beyond their scope, involving pharmacokinetics and patient safety monitoring.
Choice B reason: Assisting ambulation promotes venous return, reducing VTE risk via muscle pump action on veins. This physical task aligns with a nursing assistant’s scope, requiring no clinical analysis, making it a safe, effective delegation for prevention.
Choice C reason: Teaching about VTE prevention involves explaining risks and interventions, requiring nursing knowledge of pathophysiology. Assistants lack training for patient education, so this remains an RN duty to ensure accuracy and comprehension.
Choice D reason: Assessing VTE risk and monitoring involve clinical skills like inspecting for swelling or interpreting symptoms. This exceeds an assistant’s scope, as it requires diagnostic reasoning and expertise reserved for licensed nurses.
Nursing Test Bank
Naxlex Comprehensive Predictor Exams
Related Questions
Correct Answer is C
Explanation
Choice A reason: Titrating nitroprusside requires adjusting IV infusion based on MAP, a skilled nursing task. Assistants can’t perform this, as it involves pharmacology and critical judgment beyond their scope in a crisis.
Choice B reason: Setting up a BP machine to monitor every 15 minutes is a technical task within an assistant’s role. It requires no interpretation, supporting the RN’s management of hypertensive crisis safely and effectively.
Choice C reason: Teaching stress relief demands nursing expertise in patient education and psychology. Assistants lack training to deliver this, making it an RN duty to ensure comprehension and relevance in care.
Choice D reason: Evaluating nitroprusside’s effect involves analyzing BP trends and drug response, a clinical skill. Delegation is inappropriate, as assistants can’t assess therapeutic outcomes or adjust care in this critical scenario.
Correct Answer is C
Explanation
Choice A reason: Shortness of breath on stairs suggests cardiopulmonary issues, not intermittent claudication. Claudication is leg pain from arterial insufficiency during activity, not dyspnea, which reflects lung or heart strain.
Choice B reason: Finger pain in cold weather points to Raynaud’s or vasospasm, not claudication. Intermittent claudication affects lower limbs from arterial occlusion, not upper extremities or temperature-related vasomotor changes.
Choice C reason: Leg cramping after walking a block is classic intermittent claudication, from reduced blood flow in peripheral artery disease. Pain with activity, relieved by rest, matches its ischemic pathophysiology perfectly.
Choice D reason: Foot swelling from standing suggests venous stasis or edema, not claudication. Claudication involves arterial insufficiency causing pain with exertion, not fluid accumulation from prolonged static posture.
Whether you are a student looking to ace your exams or a practicing nurse seeking to enhance your expertise , our nursing education contents will empower you with the confidence and competence to make a difference in the lives of patients and become a respected leader in the healthcare field.
Visit Naxlex, invest in your future and unlock endless possibilities with our unparalleled nursing education contents today
Report Wrong Answer on the Current Question
Do you disagree with the answer? If yes, what is your expected answer? Explain.
Kindly be descriptive with the issue you are facing.