An elderly male patient, who has been experiencing abdominal pain, is admitted to the hospital from a long-term care facility. He hasn’t had a bowel movement in 7 days, his abdomen is distended, and he recently vomited 150 mL of dark brown emesis. In what order should the nurse perform the following interventions? Arrange from highest to lowest priority.

Complete a focused assessment: The first step in managing a patient with abdominal pain and other symptoms is to perform a comprehensive assessment. This will help identify the cause of the symptoms and guide subsequent interventions. Offer PRN pain medication: Once the immediate risks have been addressed, managing the patient’s pain is a priority. However, the choice of pain medication will depend on the results of the assessment. Send the emesis sample to the lab: Sending the emesis sample to the lab can provide valuable information about the cause of the patient’s symptoms. However, this is not as urgent as the other interventions. Elevate the head of the bed: Elevating the head of the bed can help reduce the risk of aspiration, especially in a patient who has vomited. This should be done as soon as possible.