Question of the Week – November 16, 2022

Rationale:

Answer: 1

Rationale: The nurse obtains the client’s baseline body weight as a priority before beginning the IV infusion because body weight is a sensitive and specific indicator of fluid volume status when body weights are compared on a daily basis. This means that as a client receives or accumulates fluid, body weight quickly and proportionately increases, and vice versa. The remaining options may also be reasonable items to check before initiating an IV infusion. However, intake, output, and serum electrolytes are potentially affected by more confounding factors; thus, they are less specific and are sensitive to fluctuations in body fluid. Determining the client’s dominant side assists in deciding a site for inserting the initial IV catheter, but it provides no information about fluid volume status.

Level of Cognitive Ability: Analyzing
Client Needs: Physiological Integrity
Integrated Process: Nursing Process/Data Collection
Content Area: Foundations of Care: Fluids & Electrolytes
Health Problem: N/A