One day after surgery, alcoholic client is restless and reports a new symptom: 'there is a man in the bed.' What is the initial intervention?

One day after surgery, alcoholic client is restless and reports a new symptom: 'there is a man in the bed.' What is the initial intervention?

• A. Restrain the client to prevent harm to self or others.
• B. Have a staff member stay with the client and call the physician to report these new symptoms.
• C. Move the client to a single room at the end of the hall to eliminate noises and confusion.
• D. Ask the client to describe feelings and more details about 'the man in the bed.'

Answer: (B)

This situation points to potential delirium from alcohol withdrawal or postoperative delirium, which is a medical emergency that requires immediate safety and evaluation. The first step is to keep the patient safe and get medical input right away. Having a staff member stay with the patient provides close observation and reassurance, reducing risk of injury during confusion or hallucinations, while the physician is alerted to assess for withdrawal delirium and order appropriate treatment ( fluids, electrolytes, thiamine, and possibly benzodiazepines or other meds). Restraints are not the initial response because they are a last resort, require an order, and can worsen delirium or cause harm. Moving the patient to a different room might help reduce stimuli but does not address the urgent medical need and monitoring. Asking the patient to describe feelings can be helpful as part of assessment, but it’s not the priority when new hallucinations appear in this high-risk group. Prompt safety plus medical evaluation is the best course to prevent progression to more severe withdrawal complications.

This situation points to potential delirium from alcohol withdrawal or postoperative delirium, which is a medical emergency that requires immediate safety and evaluation. The first step is to keep the patient safe and get medical input right away. Having a staff member stay with the patient provides close observation and reassurance, reducing risk of injury during confusion or hallucinations, while the physician is alerted to assess for withdrawal delirium and order appropriate treatment ( fluids, electrolytes, thiamine, and possibly benzodiazepines or other meds).

Restraints are not the initial response because they are a last resort, require an order, and can worsen delirium or cause harm. Moving the patient to a different room might help reduce stimuli but does not address the urgent medical need and monitoring. Asking the patient to describe feelings can be helpful as part of assessment, but it’s not the priority when new hallucinations appear in this high-risk group. Prompt safety plus medical evaluation is the best course to prevent progression to more severe withdrawal complications.