While taking an adult patient’s pulse, a nurse finds the rate to be 140 beats/min. What should the nurse do next?

A. “I will begin upon the client’s admission to the facility.”

Effective discharge planning should start upon the client's admission to the facility. It is an ongoing process that involves assessing the patient's needs, planning for post-discharge care, and ensuring a smooth transition from the hospital to the next level of care. Early initiation of discharge planning allows the healthcare team to address any potential barriers, educate the patient and their family, and coordinate necessary resources for a successful transition.

B. “I will begin once the client’s insurance company approves discharge coverage.”

Waiting for insurance approval may delay the discharge planning process and hinder the timely coordination of resources needed for post-discharge care.

C. “I will begin 48 hr before the client’s discharge.”

Waiting until 48 hours before discharge may not allow sufficient time to address all aspects of the discharge plan, potentially leading to rushed or incomplete preparations.

D. “I will begin once the client’s discharge order is written.”

Waiting for the discharge order may delay the start of the planning process, and effective discharge planning should be initiated earlier to ensure comprehensive and patient-centered care.

A. Mutually establish desired outcomes of the plan of care:

While establishing desired outcomes is an important part of the nursing process, nursing diagnoses themselves do not necessarily focus on mutually establishing these outcomes. Nursing diagnoses help identify health problems and needs, which then guide the development of outcomes during the planning phase.

B. Guide selection of nursing interventions to meet expected outcomes:

This is the correct answer. Nursing diagnoses help determine the specific needs and problems a patient is facing. Once identified, nursing interventions can be chosen to address these needs and work towards achieving expected outcomes.

C. Establish a database of information for future comparison:

Establishing a database of information is more related to the assessment phase of the nursing process. Nursing diagnoses are formulated based on the analysis of the collected data and serve to guide subsequent steps in the nursing process, particularly planning and intervention.

D. Evaluate the effectiveness of the established plan of care:

Evaluating the effectiveness of the established plan of care is part of the later stages of the nursing process. Nursing diagnoses help in planning and implementing interventions, and evaluating their effectiveness comes after these interventions have been carried out.