When listening to a patient's breath sounds, the nurse is unsure of a sound that is heard. Which action should the nurse take next?

A) Notify the patient's physician.
B) Document the sound exactly as it was heard.
C) Validate the data by asking another nurse to listen to the breath sounds.
D) Assess again in 20 minutes to note whether the sound is still present.

When unsure of a sound heard while listening to a patient's breath sounds, the nurse validates the data to ensure accuracy by either repeating the assessment themselves or asking another nurse to assess the breath sounds. If the nurse has less experience analyzing breath sounds, then he or she should ask an expert to listen. When unsure of a sound heard while listening to a patient's breath sounds, the nurse should validate the data before documenting to ensure accuracy and before notifying the patient's physician. To validate that data, the nurse either repeats the assessment himself or herself or asks another nurse to assess the breath sounds.