Editing Fundamentals of Nursing – LPN Practice Questions (section)

==Question 14==
The licensed practical nurse is assisting an unsteady patient to ambulate when the patient's knees suddenly buckle. What should the nurse do?
# Try to hold the patient upright until help arrives.
# Ease the patient to the floor while protecting the head, then call for help and stay with the patient.
# Let go of the patient and run to get the registered nurse.
# Quickly move the patient into the nearest chair without assistance.

'''Answer:''' 2. Ease the patient to the floor while protecting the head, then call for help and stay with the patient.

''Rationale:'' Attempting to stop a fall in progress commonly injures both the patient and the nurse. The safe technique is to widen the stance, pull the patient close, support the head, and slide the patient down the nurse's leg to the floor in a controlled way, then call for help and remain with the patient until assessment is done. Option 1 risks a fall onto the nurse and a worse patient injury. Option 3 abandons a falling patient. Option 4 risks an uncontrolled drop and can worsen an undetected injury.