The nurse is conducting a head-to-toe assessment of a patient at the beginning of a shift. The nurse has palpated the patient's radial pulse for 1 minute to determine the patient's heart rate and has detected an irregular rhythm.
How should the nurse follow-up this assessment finding?
A) Continue to palpate the patient's radial pulse for one more minute in order to gauge the severity of the arrhythmia.
B) Palpate the patient's right and left radial pulses simultaneously to compare the symmetry of the patient's rate and rhythm.
C) Reposition the patient, wait 3 to 5 minutes and then reassess the patient's radial pulse.
D) Auscultate the patient's apical pulse while simultaneously palpating the patient's radial pulse.
Question 2
An elderly woman suffering from abdominal pain, nausea, urinary incontinence, fever, and vomiting is brought to the emergency department. What is the most likely preliminary diagnosis?
A) Appendicitis
B) Aneurysm
C) Urinary tract infection
D) Colon cancer