A patient with a long leg cast and crutches is required to walk down a staircase at his home. When descending down a staircase, the patient should:

Explanation

• To descend down a staircase with crutches, the patient should first shift body weight to the unaffected leg. Then, both crutches should be advanced down to the next step

• After the crutches are advanced, the affected leg is moved next while body weight is shifted to the crutches. Finally, the unaffected leg is moved forward. Repeat this procedure for each step

Visit our website for other NCLEX topics now!