A nurse is assisting with preoperative teaching for a client. Which of the following outcomes should the nurse expect?

(A) Develop client-specific goals and outcomes: While this is an important step in the nursing process, it is not the first step. Before developing goals and outcomes, the nurse needs to understand the client’s situation, which in this case involves determining the nature of the client’s grief.

(B) Incorporate the treatment into the client’s care: Incorporating treatment into the client’s care is part of the implementation phase of the nursing process. Before this step, the nurse needs to assess the client’s condition and plan the care, which includes understanding the nature of the client’s grief.

(C) Determine whether coping strategies were successful: Determining the success of coping strategies is part of the evaluation phase of the nursing process. This is typically done after the implementation of care and treatment. It is not the first step in caring for a client experiencing grief.

(D) Establish whether the client’s grieving is healthy or complicated: This is the most appropriate answer. The first step in the nursing process is assessment. For a client experiencing grief, this would involve establishing whether the client’s grieving is healthy (a normal response to loss) or complicated (prolonged or more intense grief that may require additional support or intervention). This understanding will guide the subsequent steps of the nursing process, including planning care and setting goals.

A. Have the client place their head between their knees:

Placing the head between the knees may help alleviate symptoms of hyperventilation by promoting relaxation and reducing dizziness. This position can help increase venous return to the heart and improve cerebral blood flow, which may reduce symptoms associated with hyperventilation.

B. Plan to administer sodium bicarbonate to the client:

Sodium bicarbonate is not indicated for respiratory alkalosis. It is used to treat metabolic acidosis by increasing plasma bicarbonate levels. Administering sodium bicarbonate to a client with respiratory alkalosis may exacerbate the alkalosis by further increasing the pH of the blood.

C. Plan to administer insulin to the client:

Insulin administration is not indicated for respiratory alkalosis. Insulin is used to manage hyperglycemia in diabetes mellitus and does not address the underlying respiratory condition causing alkalosis.

D. Have the client breathe into a paper bag:

Breathing into a paper bag is a common intervention for managing hyperventilation associated with respiratory alkalosis. Rebreathing exhaled carbon dioxide helps increase carbon dioxide levels in the blood, which can reverse the alkalosis and alleviate symptoms of hyperventilation.