While serving breakfast, a nursing assistant notices that a resident's face droops on one side and his words are slurred. He was talking normally when she left his room ten minutes ago. What should the nursing assistant do?
ANotify the nurse immediately and note the time the symptoms were first seen✓ Correct
Correct. Fast treatment matters, and the time symptoms began helps decide which treatments are possible.
BWatch him for an hour to see whether the symptoms clear on their own✗ Incorrect
Even symptoms that fade can be a warning of a stroke to come, and waiting costs time.
CFinish serving the other residents' trays, then tell the nurse✗ Incorrect
Treatment works best when started early, so the nurse is told at once.
DChart the findings and report them at shift change✗ Incorrect
A sudden neurological change is an emergency and cannot wait for routine reporting.
Answer
A. Notify the nurse immediately and note the time the symptoms were first seen
Rationale
A drooping face and slurred speech that come on suddenly point to a possible stroke, and the affected brain tissue is dying while blood flow is cut off. Because early care gives the best outcome, the aide gets the nurse at once and keeps track of when the signs were first seen; that time helps the team choose treatment. Even if the signs fade, the nurse still needs to know, since a brief episode can be a warning of a stroke to come.
RememberFace droop or slurred speech: get the nurse now and note when it started.
Sources
Sources marked “Adapted from” are licensed under CC BY 4.0. We changed the material: its facts are rewritten into an original question, answer options and rationale. The original authors and publishers do not endorse SwipeExam.
Signs and Symptoms of Stroke (Source: CDC)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) · License: CDC content (credit required) · Retrieved · B.E. F.A.S.T to identify stroke; What should I do to treat a transient ischemic attack ("mini-stroke")?
Stroke (MedlinePlus health topic)MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine · License: US government work (public domain) · Retrieved · Summary: Stroke
Stroke SymptomsNational Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NIH) · License: US government work (public domain) · Retrieved · Stroke Symptoms
