A nurse is completing a comprehensive health assessment on a 72-year-old male client who has reported significant fatigue and occasional shortness of breath. What is the most appropriate next step to explore the client's symptoms further?
Perform auscultation of the client’s heart and lung sounds for potential abnormalities.
Ask the client to describe the fatigue and shortness of breath, including onset, frequency, and associated factors.
Record the client’s vital signs to assess for immediate abnormalities.
Refer the client to a cardiopulmonary specialist for further evaluation.
The correct action is to ask detailed questions about the client’s symptoms, including their onset, duration, frequency, and associated factors. This helps to gather critical information related to the client's reported concerns and forms the basis for further diagnostics or interventions. Assessing vital signs or auscultating heart and lung sounds would also be appropriate steps but are typically done after obtaining a detailed history. Without first understanding the history, physical findings could be misinterpreted or incomplete. Referring the client immediately to a specialist skips critical steps in the assessment process that are essential for appropriate triage and care.
Ask Bash
Bash is our AI bot, trained to help you pass your exam. AI Generated Content may display inaccurate information, always double-check anything important.
Why is it important to ask about the onset and frequency of symptoms?
Open an interactive chat with Bash
How does knowing associated factors impact the assessment of fatigue and shortness of breath?
Open an interactive chat with Bash
What are some common physical findings a nurse might look for during a lung auscultation?
Open an interactive chat with Bash
NCLEX RN
Health Promotion and Maintenance
Your Score:
Report Issue
Bash, the Crucial Exams Chat Bot
AI Bot
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Nursing and Medical Assistants Package Join Premium for Full Access