Brunner & Suddarth's Textbook of Medical-Surgical Nursing 14e (Hinkle 2017) - Health Care Delivery and Evidence-Based Nursing Practice Related

Review Brunner & Suddarth's Textbook of Medical-Surgical Nursing 14e (Hinkle 2017) - Health Care Delivery and Evidence-Based Nursing Practice related questions and content

A nurse is planning a medical patients care with consideration of Maslows hierarchy of needs. Within this framework of understanding, what would be the nurses first priority?

  • A. Allowing the family to see a newly admitted patient
  • B. Ambulating the patient in the hallway
  • C. Administering pain medication
  • D. Teaching the patient to self-administer insulin safely
Correct Answer: C

Rationale: In Maslows hierarchy of needs, pain relief addresses the patients basic physiologic need. Activity, such as ambulation, is a higher level need above the physiologic need. Allowing the patient to see family addresses a higher level need related to love and belonging. Teaching the patient is also a higher level need related to the desire to know and understand and is not appropriate at this time, as the basic physiologic need of pain control must be addressed before the patient can address these higher level needs.