Assessment for alcohol withdrawal

[pinksapphire]

I am hoping someone can clear up some confusion for me.

Situation: A patient comes into your ER and is experiencing signs of alcohol withdrawal. As a nurse which would be your first priority:

A) Assess if patient is taking any other substances or

B) Ask patient for Date and Time of last drink

Thank you

[nurseprnRN, BSN, RN]

The NCLEX wants to know whether you recognize patient safety issues; they also want you to get more pertinent information to help you make decisions.

If you have already assessed this person as showing signs of alcohol withdrawal, you know how dangerous this is if untreated. In order to protect him maximally, you need information on when his last alcohol intake was, so that's the priority.