A nurse is caring for a client admitted for alcohol use disorder who reports using alcohol to deal with stress. Which of the following actions should the nurse take to assist the client in maintaining self-control of the behavior?

Choice A reason: Confirming the client’s perception of the crisis is the first step, establishing trust and understanding their emotional state, critical for effective intervention. This guides tailored support, essential for addressing depression in a situational crisis, ensuring therapeutic communication, and promoting coping in mental health care settings.

Choice B reason: Teaching relaxation techniques is useful but secondary to understanding the client’s crisis perception, which informs interventions. Assuming techniques are first risks misaligned support, potentially escalating distress, critical to avoid in ensuring effective crisis management for clients with depression experiencing situational stressors.

Choice C reason: Identifying strengths supports coping but follows confirming the client’s crisis perception, which sets the therapeutic foundation. Prioritizing strengths risks overlooking the client’s immediate emotional needs, potentially delaying effective intervention, critical to prevent in managing depression during a situational crisis in mental health care.

Choice D reason: Notifying a support person is secondary to understanding the client’s crisis perception, which guides initial intervention. Assuming notification is first risks bypassing the client’s perspective, potentially reducing trust, critical to avoid in ensuring client-centered care for depression in situational crisis management.

Choice A reason: A 10-mL syringe produces high pressure, risking tissue damage during wound irrigation; low-pressure flow is safer. Assuming a 10-mL syringe is appropriate risks harming the wound, critical to avoid in ensuring gentle, effective irrigation for abdominal incision healing in wound care.

Choice B reason: Irrigating with low-pressure flow (e.g., 35-mL syringe or irrigation system) gently cleanses the abdominal incision, preventing tissue trauma while removing debris. This is critical for infection prevention, promoting healing, and ensuring safe wound care, essential for effective management of surgical incisions in clients.

Choice C reason: Cleansing from bottom to top risks dragging contaminants into the wound; top-to-bottom is standard. Assuming upward cleansing is correct risks infection, critical to prevent in ensuring proper wound hygiene and healing for clients with abdominal incisions during wound care.

Choice D reason: Cleansing drain sites involves circular motion from center outward, not inward, to avoid contamination. Low-pressure irrigation is key for wounds. Assuming inward motion is correct risks infection, critical to avoid in ensuring proper wound and drain care for abdominal incisions.