Question

A nurse caring for an older adult who has been diagnosed with a urinary tract infection checks the patient's temperature on admission and finds that it is 96.6°F. Which of the following describes how the nurse should interpret the finding?


The patient is exhibiting a normal febrile response to a urinary tract infection.


The patient's absent febrile response indicates absence of an infection.


The patient may be exhibiting a blunted or absent febrile response.


The patient's temperature is normal so the patient does not have an infection.

Answer 1

Answer: The patient may be exhibiting a blunted or absent febrile response.

Explanation:

The nurse should interpret the condition that absent or blunted febrile response during the time of infection. It has been seen that more than 30% of the older adults are suffering from the serious infection related to the absent or even blunted febrile response. This may be because of delay in the diagnosis process and requires the initiation of the antimicrobial treatment.