NCLEX: A 39-year-old client in the emergency department is being evaluated for nursing care related to unsafe orders. As…

Ethics, legal nursing, delegation, prioritization Management of Care

Case Study

A 39-year-old client in the emergency department is being evaluated for nursing care related to unsafe orders. Assessment data include family requests lab results by phone without verified authorization. Which infection-prevention action is essential?

Question

A. Perform hand hygiene and apply the transmission-based precautions indicated by the client's diagnosis.
B. Wear gloves only and skip hand hygiene when leaving the room.
C. Use sterile technique for all routine hygiene regardless of diagnosis.
D. Skip precautions if the client has no fever.

Rationale

Correct answer: A. 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: Unsafe orders