Level: Clinical
Difficulty: Medium
Subtopic: Pain management in labor
NCLEX: A 29-year-old client in labor and delivery is being evaluated for labor with epidural analgesia. Assessment data…
Maternal-newborn nursing Health Promotion and Maintenance Reduction of Risk Potential
Case Study
A 29-year-old client in labor and delivery is being evaluated for labor with epidural analgesia. Assessment data include contractions every 1 minute with no resting tone between contractions. Which nursing action is the priority to keep the client safe?
Question
A. Leave the client alone to promote independence while finishing charting.
B. Stay with the client, remove immediate hazards, reassess, and escalate per facility safety protocol.
C. Apply the first intervention in the policy manual without a current assessment.
D. Give a blanket answer that everything is fine and continue the prior plan.
B. Stay with the client, remove immediate hazards, reassess, and escalate per facility safety protocol.
C. Apply the first intervention in the policy manual without a current assessment.
D. Give a blanket answer that everything is fine and continue the prior plan.
Rationale
Correct answer: B. Stay with the client, remove immediate hazards, reassess, and escalate per facility safety protocol.
Rationale: Client safety requires direct assessment, hazard reduction, and timely escalation rather than assumptions, abandonment, or policy-only actions.
Hint: Apply ABCs, client stability, and NCSBN clinical judgment steps before choosing an intervention.
Rationale: Client safety requires direct assessment, hazard reduction, and timely escalation rather than assumptions, abandonment, or policy-only actions.
Hint: Apply ABCs, client stability, and NCSBN clinical judgment steps before choosing an intervention.