Question
A nurse caring for an older adult client who has dementia observes another nurse putting restraints on the client without a health care provider's order. The client is agitated and not cooperating. What would be the best initial action of the first nurse in this situation?
Confront the nurse and explain how this could be dangerous for the client. File an incident report and have the second nurse sign it. Contact the health care provider for an order for the restraints. Report the nurse applying the restraints to the supervisor.
Confront the nurse and explain how this could be dangerous for the client. File an incident report and have the second nurse sign it. Contact the health care provider for an order for the restraints. Report the nurse applying the restraints to the supervisor.
Answers
GPT-4o mini
In this situation, the best initial action for the first nurse is to **report the nurse applying the restraints to the supervisor.**
Restraints should only be used as a last resort and require a healthcare provider's order. By reporting the incident to a supervisor, the first nurse ensures that appropriate steps are taken to protect the patient, address the inappropriate use of restraints, and maintain the safety and dignity of the client without direct confrontation, which could escalate the situation. Immediate reporting also helps ensure that the caregiving environment adheres to the regulations and best practices for patient care.
Restraints should only be used as a last resort and require a healthcare provider's order. By reporting the incident to a supervisor, the first nurse ensures that appropriate steps are taken to protect the patient, address the inappropriate use of restraints, and maintain the safety and dignity of the client without direct confrontation, which could escalate the situation. Immediate reporting also helps ensure that the caregiving environment adheres to the regulations and best practices for patient care.