Safety & ProfessionalismQuestion 87 of 100
A patient asks the EKG technician, "Does this tracing mean I had a heart attack?" What is the appropriate response?
a.Explain that the physician interprets the tracing and will discuss the results, and notify the nurse of the patient's question
b.Tell the patient the tracing looks like an infarction
c.Reassure the patient that the tracing looks completely normal
d.Hand the tracing to the patient so he can read it himself
Explanation
Interpreting and diagnosing are outside the EKG technician's scope of practice, so the correct answer refers the question to the provider while acknowledging the patient's concern and passing it on to the nurse. Offering either an abnormal or a reassuring interpretation exceeds the technician's role and may be wrong. Releasing the tracing directly to the patient bypasses the provider and the facility's record release process.
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