What should a nurse do if a patient has a heart rate of 56 and no standing orders for treatment?

In a situation where a patient presents with a heart rate of 56 beats per minute and there are no standing orders for treatment, the appropriate action for the nurse is to notify the physician. This is crucial because bradycardia, defined as a heart rate below 60 beats per minute, can indicate underlying issues that may require intervention.

By notifying the physician, the nurse ensures that a qualified practitioner can assess the patient's condition and decide on the appropriate next steps, which might include further evaluation, monitoring, or specific interventions. The physician can also determine whether the bradycardia is clinically significant based on the patient's overall medical history, current symptoms, and vital signs.

While documenting the heart rate is a standard part of nursing practice, it is secondary to ensuring that the patient is stabilized and that the physician is made aware of any significant changes in vital signs that could impact the patient's immediate care. Continuing with dialysis or administering a beta-blocker without a physician's guidance could be inappropriate and risk the patient's safety, especially when standing orders are not available. Thus, involving the physician is fundamental in this scenario.