A nurse in a long-term care facility is monitoring clients in the day room. A client who has dementia becomes angry and starts screaming at the nurse. Which of the following interventions should the nurse take first?
Place the client in a seclusion room.
Engage the client in a repetitive activity as a distraction.
Administer PRN haloperidol IM to the client.
Apply wrist restraints to the client.
The Correct Answer is B
A. Seclusion is a highly restrictive intervention and is not the first action for managing agitation in dementia clients.
B. Engaging the client in a repetitive activity as a distraction is the least restrictive intervention and can help calm the client by redirecting their attention. Non-pharmacological and less restrictive approaches are preferred as initial responses to manage agitation in dementia clients.
C. Administering PRN haloperidol IM is a pharmacological intervention and should be reserved for situations where less restrictive measures have failed.
D. Applying wrist restraints is a restrictive intervention that can increase agitation and is not appropriate as a first-line approach.
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Correct Answer is A
Explanation
A. Reporting the concern to the charge nurse is the appropriate action, as it ensures that the issue is addressed through proper channels. The charge nurse can investigate and determine if further action is needed, such as reviewing the medication administration process.
B. Questioning the nurse directly could lead to confrontations and is not the correct procedure for handling potential discrepancies in medication administration.
C. Notifying the pharmacy is unnecessary at this point because the issue concerns administration rather than medication supply or errors with the prescription.
D. While documenting the client’s report is important, simply documenting the client’s claim without notifying the charge nurse does not fully address the concern.