Jerry is working the late shift in the emergency department on New Year’s Eve. He hears a co-worker call for help. He rushes to the room to find that a patient is confused, is yelling at the nurse, and wildly swinging his arms in the air. The nurse yells that Jerry should stay back because the patient has active TB.

Question

What should Jerry do next?

Responses

Jerry should put an isolation sign on the door, grab the restraints, rush back to the room, and restrain the patient.
Jerry should put an isolation sign on the door, grab the restraints, rush back to the room, and restrain the patient.

Jerry should grab his personal respirator, quickly get a doctor’s order for restraints, and rush to the room and restrain the patient.
Jerry should grab his personal respirator, quickly get a doctor’s order for restraints, and rush to the room and restrain the patient.

Jerry should put on a mask, grab restraints, and restrain the patient.
Jerry should put on a mask, grab restraints, and restrain the patient.

Jerry should rush into the room, put on a gown, and restrain the patient.
Jerry should rush into the room, put on a gown, and restrain the patient.

Answer 1

In this scenario, Jerry's priority should be ensuring his own safety and the safety of others while addressing the patient's agitation. Given that the patient has active tuberculosis (TB), Jerry needs to follow proper precautions to prevent the spread of TB.

The best course of action for Jerry is to grab his personal respirator (which is crucial for protection against airborne TB), and then he should quickly get a doctor’s order for restraints if needed. Once he has taken these safety measures, he can safely assess the situation further and, if appropriate and with medical supervision, proceed with restraining the patient if necessary.

Therefore, the appropriate response is:

Jerry should grab his personal respirator, quickly get a doctor’s order for restraints, and rush to the room and restrain the patient.