Which nursing activity is best delegated to an experienced nursing assistant when caring for a client with suspected adrenal cortex disorder?

Which nursing activity is best delegated to an experienced nursing assistant when caring for a client with suspected adrenal cortex disorder?

• A. Ask about risk factors for adrenocortical problems.
• B. Assess the client's response to physiologic stressors.
• C. Check the client's blood glucose levels every 4 hours.
• D. Teach the client how to do a 24-hour urine collection.

Answer: (C)

In adrenal cortex disorders, glucose balance is affected by cortisol, so watching glucose trends is essential in monitoring the patient’s status. Checking the client’s blood glucose levels every four hours is a straightforward, routine data-collection task that an experienced nursing assistant can perform reliably, freeing the nurse to focus on assessments and interventions that require clinical judgment. The nurse should review the results and respond to any values outside the expected range. The other activities require higher-level nursing skills: asking about risk factors involves interview and assessment to gather data; assessing how the client responds to physiologic stressors requires ongoing clinical evaluation and interpretation; teaching the client how to perform a 24-hour urine collection involves patient education and procedural guidance that typically falls to a licensed nurse.

In adrenal cortex disorders, glucose balance is affected by cortisol, so watching glucose trends is essential in monitoring the patient’s status. Checking the client’s blood glucose levels every four hours is a straightforward, routine data-collection task that an experienced nursing assistant can perform reliably, freeing the nurse to focus on assessments and interventions that require clinical judgment. The nurse should review the results and respond to any values outside the expected range.

The other activities require higher-level nursing skills: asking about risk factors involves interview and assessment to gather data; assessing how the client responds to physiologic stressors requires ongoing clinical evaluation and interpretation; teaching the client how to perform a 24-hour urine collection involves patient education and procedural guidance that typically falls to a licensed nurse.