Assignment task:
Upon completing a medical history and physical assessment the nurse learns that the client has an eight-year history of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and continues to smoke 1/2 pack of cigarettes daily. The client is febrile (101.20 F) and reports experiencing periods of chilling. The client has a productive cough resulting in large amounts of purulent sputum and reports, "All this coughing and difficulty breathing makes my chest hurt." The client's spouse shares that the client hasn't been eating or drinking as well as usual and constipation has been a problem for the last 3 days. Both covid-19 infection and pneumonia are being ruled out as the possible diagnosis.
The nurse will identify which assessment and/or history data as supporting a diagnosis of pneumonia? Select all that apply.
- Cough
- Anorexia
- Chest pain
- Constipation
- Fever and Chills
- Purulent sputum
- History of COPD