The nurse is preparing to assess a hospitalized patient who is experiencing significant shortness of breath. How should the nurse proceed with the assessment?

A) Have the patient lie down to obtain an accurate cardiac, respiratory, and abdominal assessment.
B) Obtain a thorough history and physical assessment from the patient's family member.
C) Immediately perform a complete history and physical assessment to obtain baseline information.
D) Examine the body areas appropriate to the problem and perform the rest of the complete assessment after the problem has resolved.

Both altering the position of the patient during the examination and collecting a mini database by examining the body areas appropriate to the problem may be necessary. In this situation, having the patient lie down to perform assessments may worsen the shortness of breath. The nurse should examine the areas appropriate to the problem, in this case a respiratory and cardiac assessment, and the rest of the assessment can be completed later after the shortness of breath has resolved. Before obtaining a complete history from either the patient or a family member, the nurse should examine the areas appropriate to the problem, in this case a respiratory and cardiac assessment, first and the rest of the history and physical assessment can be completed later after the shortness of breath has resolved.