A client is receiving a secondary infusion of erythromycin 1 grams in 100 mL dextrose 5% in water (DW) to be infused in 30 minutes.

How many mL/hour should the nurse program the infusion pump?

The correct answer ischoice A.

Choice A rationale:

Having the client vocalize the instructions provided ensures that they have understood the information correctly.This method allows the nurse to confirm comprehension and clarify any misunderstandings.

Choice B rationale:

Providing written instructions for eye drop administration is helpful but does not ensure that the client understands the instructions.It is a good supplementary measure but should not be the sole method of communication.

Choice C rationale:

Speaking clearly and facing the client for lip reading is important, especially for clients with hearing impairments.However, it does not guarantee that the client has understood the instructions.

Choice D rationale:

Ensuring that someone will stay with the client for 24 hours is a good safety measure but does not directly address the client’s understanding of the discharge instructions.

The correct answer is Choice D

Choice A rationale: Splinting with a pillow may reduce discomfort during movement or coughing by stabilizing the incision site, but it does not address acute postoperative pain with sympathetic overdrive. The elevated heart rate, respiratory rate, and blood pressure suggest a stress response mediated by catecholamines. Without analgesia, nociceptive signals continue to activate the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. While splinting is supportive, it lacks the pharmacologic efficacy needed to blunt nociceptive transmission at the spinal or supraspinal level.

Choice B rationale: Assessing IV patency is a procedural prerequisite for medication administration but not a therapeutic intervention in itself. It does not directly address the pathophysiology of acute pain or the sympathetic surge evidenced by tachycardia and hypertension. Pain activates ascending pathways via A-delta and C fibers, requiring pharmacologic blockade. IV access assessment is necessary but secondary to the urgent need for analgesia to prevent complications like hypoxia, hyperventilation, or delayed recovery.

Choice C rationale: High Fowler positioning may improve diaphragmatic excursion and reduce pulmonary complications, but it does not mitigate visceral or incisional pain. In fact, increased intra-abdominal pressure from upright posture may exacerbate pain at the surgical site. Pain perception involves central sensitization and peripheral nociceptor activation, which are unaffected by positioning. The client’s pale skin and elevated vitals indicate systemic distress requiring analgesic intervention, not postural adjustment. Thus, this choice lacks direct analgesic benefit.

Choice D rationale: IV analgesics act rapidly to inhibit nociceptive transmission at the spinal cord and brainstem levels. Opioids bind to mu receptors, reducing neurotransmitter release and hyperpolarizing neurons, thereby dampening pain signals. This intervention directly targets the physiologic cause of elevated heart rate, respiratory rate, and blood pressure. Normal heart rate is 60–100 bpm, respiratory rate 12–20 breaths/min, and BP <120/80 mmHg. Prompt analgesia prevents complications like hypoxia, delayed healing, and neuroendocrine stress