A nurse is completing a comprehensive health assessment on a 72-year-old male client who reports significant fatigue and occasional shortness of breath. What is the most appropriate next step to explore the client's symptoms further?
Refer the client to a cardiopulmonary specialist for further evaluation.
Perform auscultation of the client's heart and lung sounds for potential abnormalities.
Record the client's vital signs to assess for immediate abnormalities.
Ask the client to describe the fatigue and shortness of breath, including onset, frequency, and associated factors.
The nurse should ask detailed questions about the client's fatigue and shortness of breath, including their onset, duration, frequency, quality, and any aggravating or relieving factors. Gathering this subjective information clarifies the history of the present illness and guides the subsequent physical examination and diagnostic work-up. Assessing vital signs or auscultating heart and lung sounds are also important but are typically performed after or alongside the history to interpret findings in context. Immediate referral to a specialist bypasses essential baseline assessment steps.
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