A 73-year-old man is brought to the emergency department with complaints of profuse watery diarrhea, 7 to 8 times per day over the last three days. Which of the following is the best next step?

Assess vitals. This patient has profuse watery diarrhea. He is at great risk of dehydration, so the first step is to assess vital signs. Hypotension and tachycardia would be consistent with dehydration. Obtaining stool specimen is an appropriate next step. It is inappropriate to administer antidiarrheals or antibiotics without knowing the cause of the diarrhea.

A 73-year-old man is brought to the emergency department with com...

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Management of Care
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Category: Management of Care
Difficulty: 4

Topics: Disease Prevention Gastrointestinal

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