Certified Medical-Surgical Registered Nurse Practice Exam

What action should a nurse take if a 55-year-old male has a blood pressure of 150/90 mm Hg?

1. Consider this to be a normal finding for his age and race

2. Recommend he have his blood pressure rechecked in 1 year

3. Recommend he have his blood pressure rechecked within 2 weeks

4. Recommend he go to the emergency department for further evaluation

The correct answer is: Recommend he have his blood pressure rechecked within 2 weeks

The correct approach in this scenario is to recommend that the patient have his blood pressure rechecked within 2 weeks. A blood pressure reading of 150/90 mm Hg is considered elevated and indicates stage 1 hypertension according to current guidelines. This reading should be addressed promptly. Monitoring the blood pressure within a short time frame allows for the assessment of whether this reading is consistent or if it was an isolated incident, which is crucial for appropriate intervention. Early follow-up is essential to evaluate lifestyle modifications and determine the need for potential pharmacological treatment if hypertension persists. In contrast, considering this reading as normal based on age or race overlooks the significance of hypertension as a health risk at any age and does not promote necessary health interventions. Waiting a year for re-evaluation fails to provide timely care and allows potential complications from uncontrolled hypertension to develop. Directing the patient to the emergency department might be excessive unless there are additional symptoms or severe elevations in blood pressure that require immediate care, which is not indicated here. Therefore, the recommendation for a follow-up within 2 weeks strikes the right balance between urgency and caution for further evaluation.