A nurse is planning to assist a client who has left-sided weakness to ambulate using a gait belt. Which of the following actions should the nurse plan to take?

Choice A rationale:

Request additional information about the caller's relationship to the client. Rationale: While understanding the caller's relationship to the client is important for confirming the legitimacy of the request, it doesn't address the core concern of maintaining client confidentiality. Sharing information with individuals solely based on their relationship can still lead to breaches in privacy.

Choice B rationale:

Provide a general update about the client's condition over the telephone. Rationale: Providing a general update over the telephone is not a secure method of maintaining client confidentiality. General updates can inadvertently disclose sensitive information and should only be communicated through secure and private channels.

Choice C rationale:

Refer the family member to the client's provider for the update. Rationale: This choice is the correct answer as it ensures that the family member receives accurate and appropriate information from the authorized source, which is the client's healthcare provider. This approach maintains the confidentiality of the client's medical information and adheres to privacy regulations.

Choice D rationale:

Encourage the family member to contact the client directly for information. Rationale: Encouraging direct contact between the family member and the client for information sharing can potentially compromise the client's privacy. The client might not want their condition disclosed to certain individuals, and it's the responsibility of the healthcare provider to ensure that sensitive information is shared appropriately and securely.

Choice A rationale:

The walking gait test is used to assess a client's walking pattern and balance, particularly for identifying abnormalities in gait. However, it doesn't specifically evaluate sensory functions, making it an inappropriate choice for this scenario.

Choice B rationale:

The plantar reflex test, also known as the Babinski reflex test, assesses the neurological integrity of the corticospinal tract. It involves stimulating the sole of the foot to elicit specific reflex movements. While this test is important in assessing neurological function, it doesn't directly evaluate sensory functions as requested in the question.

Choice C rationale:

The finger-to-nose test is a part of the neurological examination used to assess a client's coordination and proprioception. In this test, the client is asked to touch their nose with their index finger while alternating between eyes closed and eyes open. This evaluates their ability to sense the position of their limbs in space (proprioception) and their coordination. It directly addresses the focus of the question, making it the correct choice.

Choice D rationale:

The Romberg test evaluates a client's balance and proprioception. It involves having the client stand with their feet together and their eyes closed to assess their ability to maintain balance without visual input. While this test is relevant to sensory functions, it primarily assesses proprioception and balance rather than coordination, which the question is specifically targeting.