At 3 AM, an individual walks into your emergency department pacing back and forth in the waiting area before approaching staff to ask if a family member is a patient in the ED. The family member is a patient on another unit. The individual speaks rapidly, has a flushed face, and glances around often with hands kept in a jacket pocket. The best initial response would be to:

Choice A reason: Calling the provider is important but not the first step in response to a severe weather code. The immediate safety and assessment of the client take precedence.

Choice B reason: Checking vital signs is the first step in assessing the client’s current health status and determining the need for immediate interventions during severe weather conditions.

Choice C reason: Notifying risk management is a subsequent step after initial client assessment and ensuring safety, as they will coordinate the broader institutional response to the severe weather event.

Choice D reason: Completing an incident report is one of the final steps after managing the immediate risks and communicating with the necessary parties, to document the event and the response taken.

Choice E reason: Instructing the client to remain in bed until further notice is a critical early step to ensure the client’s safety, especially if there is a risk of injury from the severe weather conditions.

Choice A reason: Arranging a compromise is a good approach, but it may not be feasible or satisfactory for all parties involved.

Choice B reason: Using a position of power to unilaterally resolve the conflict can create resentment and is not a collaborative solution.

Choice C reason: Relying on contracted staffing avoids addressing the conflict and does not foster a resolution or understanding between the employees.

Choice D reason: Meeting with both employees and engaging them in the problem-solving process is the best method as it encourages communication, understanding, and allows for a mutually agreeable solution to be found.