5.19 Clinical Judgment: Case Study

A 78-year-old client in a long-term care home tells a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) that they are going to stay in bed and skip breakfast. The CNA asks, “Are you sure?” The client smiles and says, “Yes dear, thank you.” The CNA asks the client if they can bring them breakfast and the client states, “No.” The CNA notifies the nurse, who says, “I am going to check on the client since they just had hip surgery three weeks ago and were just transferred back home here a week ago. If I recall, their pain was fully assessed and controlled last evening before bed.”