The nurse is continuing to care for the client. 

Exhibits

The nurse is reviewing the assessment findings.

For each assessment finding, click to specify if the finding is consistent with preeclampsia or HELLP syndrome. Each finding may support more than one disease process.

Rationale:

A. "This helps to keep you hydrated.": Flushing an intermittent infusion device does not hydrate the client, as the small amount of saline used is not intended for fluid replacement. Hydration is achieved through continuous or scheduled fluid administration, not flushes.

B. "This clears blood from the tubing and the catheter.": Flushing helps maintain catheter patency by preventing blood from clotting inside the lumen. It ensures the device remains functional and ready for medication administration when needed.

C. "This makes sure it stays sterile.": Flushing does not sterilize the device. Sterility is maintained through proper handling and use of aseptic technique. The purpose of flushing is mechanical, not antimicrobial.

D. "This prevents leakage of fluid and medication.": While flushing may help confirm that the device is intact, the primary reason is not to prevent leakage but to maintain patency and ensure the catheter is free of occlusions.

Rationale:

A. The person holding financial power of attorney will make health care decisions based on the client's advance directives: A financial power of attorney manages financial matters, not health care decisions. A separate designation such as a health care proxy or medical power of attorney is needed for making medical decisions.

B. The client has the right to refuse medical treatment, even if health care providers recommend it: Under the Patient Self-Determination Act (PSDA), clients have the legal right to make autonomous decisions about their care, including the right to refuse or discontinue treatment, regardless of medical advice.

C. The client's eldest adult child has the right to change advance directives in an end-of-life situation: Advance directives reflect the client’s own decisions. No family member, regardless of birth order, has the legal authority to change them unless specifically authorized as a health care proxy and even then, only if the client is incapacitated.

D. If the client's advance directives are in writing and notarized, the client cannot change it in the future: Clients can revise or revoke advance directives at any time, as long as they remain mentally competent. Notarization does not make the document legally fixed or unchangeable.