Nursing fundamentals Basic Care and Comfort Safety and Infection Prevention and Control
Case Study
A 55-year-old client after abdominal surgery is being evaluated for nursing care related to sleep and rest. Assessment data include respiratory rate 8/min, shallow breathing, and SpO2 86% on room air. Which infection-prevention action is essential?
Question
A. Wear gloves only and skip hand hygiene when leaving the room.
B. Perform hand hygiene and apply the transmission-based precautions indicated by the client's diagnosis.
C. Use sterile technique for all routine hygiene regardless of diagnosis.
D. Skip precautions if the client has no fever.
Rationale
Correct answer: B. Perform hand hygiene and apply the transmission-based precautions indicated by the client's diagnosis.
Rationale: Infection control matches the pathogen route: hand hygiene plus appropriate precautions for contact, droplet, or airborne transmission.
Hint: Apply ABCs, client stability, and NCSBN clinical judgment steps before choosing an intervention.
Level: Advanced
Difficulty: Hard
Subtopic: Sleep and rest