• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

QD Nurses

QD Nurses - Every Day Nurses - NCLEX Review Articles, NCLEX Study Guides, NCLEX Prep for Nursing Students, Nurses, and Healthcare Professionals

  • About
  • Education
  • Social
  • Reviews
  • Contact Us
You are here: Home / Fundamentals / Little Known Ways to Prioritize Based on Patient’s Needs

Little Known Ways to Prioritize Based on Patient’s Needs

posted on October 3, 2014

You are assigned to five patients and you have to figure out which patients to prioritize to see first. Nursing school and NCLEX love to make sure that you understand patient safety by seeing how you prioritize your patients.

Questions you are likely to see in priority questions:

  • Who should the nurse see first?
  • Which nursing action is the most important?
  • Who should the nurse discharge first?
  • Which phone call should the nurse return first?

ABC’s

  • Airway
  • Breathing
  • Circulation

Patients with airway complications are top priority. Nursing school has taught you that airway management is considered to be TOP priority or it could lead to client deterioration. Be careful because respiratory problems such as a patient with pneumonia would be considered chronic and stable. You would look for an answer for a patient who is unstable and has an acute condition.

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

  • Physiological
  • Safety
  • Love/Belonging
  • Esteem
  • Self-actualization

Physiological needs come first before psychological needs. If the patient is having difficulty breathing, then it would be redundant to care about the patient’s depression needs first. If you pick depression interventions first, it would probably be too late to act on the physiological needs.

Nursing Process

  • Assessment
  • Nursing Diagnosis
  • Planning
  • Implementation
  • Evaluation

Assessment should always be done before planning. How can you create an intervention without not even assessing what is wrong with the patient? Think carefully before you act though because if the question already has subjective data and objective data, then you may not need to assess further and need to go to the next step of the nursing process.

Patient First Before Equipment

If a patient is attached to an equipment, then it is important to make sure you prioritize the patient before the equipment. If the equipment gets dislodged from the patient, assessment and intervention must occur as soon as possible to make sure that you put the patient’s safety first. If you provide care to the equipment first, it may be too late by the time you get to the patient.

Reminder:

In triage situations, if the patient can not be saved (patient with 90% body surface area burn), then the patient should not be treated first.

You would want to pick an answer based on what you see in clinical or your job. You will think to yourself, well the LPNs are allowed to do this and that at my job. Remember that the NCLEX is given to EVERYONE in the entire country. You cannot think about New York nurses doing things differently from California nurses. If one state does not allow it, then the answer is most likely incorrectly.

Share on Facebook Share
Share
Share on Pinterest Share
Share
Share on Email Share
Share
Share on Messenger Share
Share
Total 0 Shares

Filed Under: Fundamentals, NCLEX

Primary Sidebar

My digital products are designed to be easy-to-follow and delivered in a self-paced format. My latest product - the Prep Ultimate - contains Study Guides and Digital Flashcards

Get My NCLEX Prep Ultimate

Start your journey to passing the NCLEX below. Sign up today and I'll send my free infection control study guide to your email for download.

By signing up below, you agree to the Privacy Policy and confirm that your information is accurate.

More to See

Fluid and Electrolytes Nursing Review

Fluid and Electrolytes: Nursing Review

Standard and Transmission-Based Precautions

Standard and Transmission-Based Precautions

Septic Shock Nursing Review

Nursing Review: 6 Important Facts To Know About Septic Shock

COVID-19

Nursing Review: 11 Important Facts to Know About COVID-19

HIV/AIDS

Nursing Review: Learn More About the 3 Stages of HIV Infection

More Posts from this Category

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • BUZZ
  • ATI Testing
  • NCLEX
  • ADULT CARE
    • Cardiovascular
    • Endocrine
    • Gastrointestinal
    • Genitourinary
    • Hematologic & Immune
    • Integumentary
    • Musculoskeletal
    • Neurosensory
    • Respiratory
  • FUNDAMENTALS
  • PSYCHIATRIC
  • PEDIATRIC CARE
    • Endocrine
    • Gastrointestinal
    • Genitourinary
    • Growth & Development
    • Hematologic & Immune
    • Musculoskeletal
    • Neurosensory
    • Respiratory
  • MATERNAL-NEONATAL
    • Antepartum
    • Intrapartum
    • Neonatal
  • NURSING SCIENCE
  • EMT

Footer CTA

Join over 1,500 happy students!

Get 160 FREE Digital Flashcards & My FREE Infection Control Study Guide

Learn More
  • Privacy Policy
  • Return Policy
  • Terms of Service
  • Contact Us

Copyright © 2023 QD Nurses. All Rights Reserved.

X
Subject:
Message:
Ajax loader
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Do not sell my personal information.
Cookie SettingsAccept
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
Save & Accept
Share with friends
Share on Facebook Share
Share
Share on Pinterest Share
Share
Share on Email Share
Share
Share on Messenger Share
Share