Nokea
A nurse working on a cardiac unit delegated taking vital signs to an experienced unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP). Four hours later, the nurse notes the client's blood pressure is much higher than previous readings & the client's mental status has changed. What action by the nurse would most likely have prevented this negative outcome?
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: The correct answer is C: Providing more appropriate supervision of the UAP. By providing adequate supervision, the nurse can ensure that the UAP is performing tasks correctly and can intervene if any issues arise. This would have likely prevented the negative outcome as the nurse could have identified the high blood pressure and changed mental status earlier.
A: Determining if the UAP knew how to take blood pressure - While assessing the UAP's competence is important, it does not address the need for ongoing supervision and oversight.
B: Double-checking the UAP by taking another blood pressure - This approach does not address the root cause of the issue, which is the lack of appropriate supervision.
D: Taking the blood pressure instead of delegating the task - This is not a sustainable solution as delegating tasks to UAPs is a common practice in healthcare settings. Providing appropriate supervision is key to ensuring safe and effective delegation.