The nurse is caring for a patient who is scheduled to undergo a surgical procedure. The nurse is completing an assessment and reviews the patient's laboratory tests and allergies. In which perioperative nursing phase would this work be completed?

Correct Answer: B

Rationale: Reviewing laboratory tests and allergies occurs in the preoperative phase, before surgery begins, to establish a baseline and identify risks like drug reactions or abnormal clotting. This preparation ensures the surgical team can tailor anesthesia and interventions, reducing complications. Perioperative spans all phases pre, intra, and post but isn't specific to this task. Intraoperative care happens during surgery in the operating suite, focusing on the procedure, not initial assessments. Postoperative care, in settings like the PACU, monitors recovery, not pre-surgery data. By completing this in the preoperative phase, the nurse mitigates physiological risks, such as bleeding from unrecognized coagulopathy or anaphylaxis from allergens, aligning with safety protocols to optimize surgical success and patient stability throughout the process.

Correct Answer: A

Rationale: Ascertaining the surgical site is correctly marked per universal protocol with indelible ink prevents wrong-site surgery, a critical error with severe consequences, making it most important. Marking the right great toe ensures surgical precision, mandated for all invasive procedures. Family location aids communication but isn't safety-critical. A clean gown and removing hairpins/cosmetics are standard but less urgent than site verification. The nurse's focus on this step upholds patient safety, aligning with Joint Commission standards to eliminate procedural mistakes.

Correct Answer: C

Rationale: Continued nausea and vomiting post-ambulatory surgery may need medication, so connecting the patient with the physician for relief (e.g., antiemetics) is key. Deep breaths or ginger ale/crackers may help mildly but fail for persistent symptoms. The ER is excessive unless dehydration worsens. This review ensures timely medical input, aligning with ambulatory care follow-up to manage common postoperative issues effectively.

Correct Answer: D

Rationale: A healthy carrier is someone who harbors and can transmit an infectious agent without showing symptoms, including during the incubation period before illness manifests. 'Healthy carrier,' is correct because it fits this description, as seen with typhoid carriers like Mary Mallon, who spread disease unknowingly. 'Convalescent carrier,' refers to someone recovering from illness who still sheds pathogens, not during incubation. 'Precocious carrier,' is not a standard term in epidemiology. 'Contact carrier,' is also not recognized; it might imply transmission via contact but lacks specificity to incubation. The healthy carrier's asymptomatic yet infectious state during incubation aligns with the question, supported by public health definitions from the CDC, distinguishing D as the accurate answer over less applicable or nonexistent terms.

Correct Answer: A

Rationale: The CPU's control unit (CU) directs operations by managing task scheduling and timing, ensuring instructions are executed in sequence. 'Control Unit,' is correct because it fetches, decodes, and executes commands, coordinating the CPU's activities, as detailed in computer engineering texts (e.g., Patterson and Hennessy's Computer Organization). 'ALU' (Arithmetic Logic Unit), performs calculations and logic operations, not scheduling. 'Processor,' is the entire CPU, too broad to specify this role. 'Coordinator,' is not a standard CPU component. The CU's role as the traffic cop' of the processor, synchronizing data flow and instruction timing, distinguishes it from the ALU's computational focus or the processor's generality, making A the precise answer based on CPU architecture.