Health assessment · practice question

A 66-year-old client in an outpatient clinic is being evaluated for respiratory assessment during hospitalization. The nurse reviews this trend: glucose readings 58, 54, and 49 mg/dL over 2 hours. Which interpretation and action are most appropriate?

Multiple choiceMediumnclex-rn-bsnnclex-validatednclex-2026health-assessment

Wait for a critical value or sentinel event before taking any nursing action.Treat a single value without comparing it with baseline, symptoms, or benchmarks.Ignore the trend because one data point can be explained later.Interpret the trend in context, compare it with baseline or benchmarks, and take the safest indicated action.

Answer and explanation

Correct answer

D. Interpret the trend in context, compare it with baseline or benchmarks, and take the safest indicated action.

Why

Trend questions require comparison with baseline, symptoms, risk, and benchmarks. Safe nursing action begins before a preventable event becomes critical.

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A 66-year-old client in an outpatient clinic is being evaluated for respiratory assessment during hospitalization. The nurse reviews this trend: glucose readings 58, 54, and 49 mg/dL over 2 hours. Which interpretation and action are most appropriate?

Correct answer

Why

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