A nurse is receiving a telephone prescription from a client's provider. Which of the following actions should the nurse take? (Select all that apply..

A. The cause of death is typically determined and documented by the attending physician or coroner, not the nurse.
B.While this information might be included in other parts of the medical record prior to the death, it is not required in postmortem documentation.
C. The nurse should verify that advance directives were followed, but the actual copy of the advance directives does not need to be included in the postmortem documentation. These should already be part of the client’s medical record.
D. Documenting the location of the identification tag is important for proper identification of the body after death. This ensures that the body is correctly identified during transfer to the morgue or funeral home.

Incorrect Options

• Osteoporosis: This condition is primarily characterized by bone density loss and an increased risk of fractures. It would not be indicated by bilateral wrist and shoulder stiffness. Instead, osteoporosis symptoms include bone density loss and potentially fractures.
• Hypertension: Hypertension involves consistently high blood pressure. Bilateral wrist and shoulder stiffness are not typical symptoms of hypertension. The primary indicator for hypertension is elevated blood pressure.
• Diabetes Mellitus: This metabolic disorder is characterized by high blood glucose levels. Symptoms related to diabetes include elevated blood glucose levels, not joint stiffness.
• Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD): COPD is a respiratory condition marked by shortness of breath, chronic cough, and other respiratory symptoms. It would not be indicated by joint stiffness but rather by respiratory difficulties such as shortness of breath.

In contrast, rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease that primarily affects the joints, leading to symptoms such as bilateral wrist and shoulder stiffness. Therefore, the correct answer is "rheumatoid arthritis" and "bilateral wrist and shoulder stiffness," while the incorrect options provided do not align with the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis.