How should an FNP approach a patient presenting with chest pain?

When a patient presents with chest pain, the most critical action for a Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) is to perform an immediate assessment and consider potential cardiac causes. Chest pain can be indicative of various serious conditions, including myocardial infarction (heart attack), angina, pulmonary embolism, or aortic dissection, among others. Therefore, a thorough and immediate evaluation is essential to rule out life-threatening issues.

This process typically involves taking a detailed patient history, conducting a physical examination, and possibly initiating diagnostic tests such as an electrocardiogram (ECG) and blood tests to check for cardiac enzymes. Early identification of cardiac causes can greatly improve patient outcomes, as some of these conditions require urgent medical intervention.

In contrast, encouraging the patient to rest might delay necessary interventions, scheduling a follow-up appointment would not address the immediate risk factors associated with chest pain, and advising the patient to take antacids may mismanage a potentially serious condition if the pain is actually of cardiac origin. Each of these alternative actions does not prioritize the urgency and seriousness of assessing chest pain properly, which is why immediate assessment is the most appropriate approach.