A nurse is caring for a patient who is postoperative day 1 following abdominal surgery. What is the nurse's priority action to prevent complications?

Correct Answer: A

Rationale: The correct answer is to encourage the patient to perform incentive spirometry. Incentive spirometry helps prevent respiratory complications, such as atelectasis, by promoting deep breathing and optimal lung expansion. Ambulating, repositioning, and administering pain medication are important interventions but do not take precedence over preventing respiratory complications in the immediate postoperative period.

Correct Answer: A

Rationale: The correct answer is to encourage early ambulation and leg exercises. By promoting early ambulation and leg exercises, blood flow is enhanced, reducing the risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in postoperative patients. Choice B, applying compression stockings, helps prevent VTE but is not as effective as early ambulation and exercises. Choice C, administering anticoagulants, is important in VTE prevention but does not directly address improving circulation through physical activity. Choice D, elevating the patient's legs, may be beneficial for circulation in specific cases but is not as effective in preventing VTE as early ambulation and leg exercises.

Correct Answer: B

Rationale: When a medication error occurs, the most appropriate action for a healthcare professional is to report the error to the healthcare provider immediately. This is crucial for ensuring prompt corrective action to mitigate any potential harm to the patient. Documenting the error is important but should come after reporting it to the relevant authorities. Apologizing to the patient is important for maintaining trust and communication but should not take precedence over reporting and addressing the error. Continuing to administer the medication without addressing the error is unsafe and goes against patient safety protocols.

Correct Answer: C

Rationale: In the context of chronic pain management, the most concerning finding is when the patient's pain persists despite medication. This suggests inadequate pain control or the need for a re-evaluation of the treatment plan. Choices A, B, and D are not as concerning in this scenario. A pain level of 6 on a scale of 0 to 10 is moderate and may be manageable with appropriate interventions. Patients with chronic pain can sometimes lie still due to pain or other reasons, and anxiety and restlessness are common in individuals with pain conditions but may not necessarily indicate a critical issue like uncontrolled pain.

Correct Answer: A

Rationale: The correct answer is to maintain the patient's oxygen saturation above 90% when caring for a patient with COPD. In COPD, impaired gas exchange leads to decreased oxygen levels in the blood. By ensuring oxygen saturation remains above 90%, healthcare providers can prevent hypoxia and its complications. Administering bronchodilators as prescribed (Choice B) is an important intervention in managing COPD symptoms, but it is not the primary goal. Improving the patient's nutritional intake (Choice C) and encouraging the patient to limit physical activity (Choice D) are also essential aspects of COPD management, but they are not the primary goal when caring for a patient with this condition.