What vital sign should the nurse frequently check for a client with neutropenia?

For a client with neutropenia, it is critical to monitor temperature frequently because this population is at an increased risk for infections due to their decreased white blood cell count. Neutropenia diminishes the body’s ability to fight off pathogens, making even minor infections potentially severe. A fever can be one of the first indications of an infection in these patients, so measuring temperature every 4 hours allows for timely detection and intervention. Regularly checking the temperature can help identify an infection early, which is vital given the urgent nature of infections in immunocompromised individuals.

The frequency of monitoring temperature plays a key role in managing the care for neutropenic patients. While monitoring other vital signs like blood pressure, pulse, and respiratory rate is also important, they do not provide the same critical insight into the immediate risk of infection that temperature monitoring does in this context.