What priority assessment area has been noticed by a nurse while workin

What priority assessment area has been noticed by a nurse while working with clients who are experiencing a significant degree of stress?

1. The client’s primary physical needs
2. What else is happening in the client’s life
3. How the stress has influenced the client’s activities of daily living
4. Determining whether the client is thinking about harming self or others

ANSWER

ANS: 4
A priority assessment is to determine if the person is suicidal or homicidal by asking directly. The priority assessment for the client who is experiencing a significant degree of stress is not the cli-ent’s physical needs. The nurse should first determine if the client is a danger to self or others. After determining if the client is suicidal or homicidal, the nurse can begin the problem-solving process and assess what else is happening in the client’s life. The nurse should first determine if the client is a danger to self or others. Then the nurse can examine the degree of disruption in the person’s life, such as in activities of daily living.