A nurse is caring for a client who asks for information regarding organ donation. Which of the following responses should the nurse make?

The correct answer is choice B. Using an electronic messaging system to remind clients when to take medications. Tertiary prevention in healthcare involves measures taken to reduce the impact of an ongoing illness or injury that has lasting effects. This is done by helping people manage long-term, often-complex health problems and injuries in order to improve as much as possible their ability to function, their quality of life, and their life expectancy. In the context of an HIV clinic, reminding clients to take their medications can help manage the disease effectively and prevent complications.

Choice A rationale:

Educating clients about contraindications to specific immunizations is incorrect because this is more aligned with primary prevention, which aims to prevent the onset of an illness or injury before the disease process begins.

Choice C rationale:

Providing clients with information about the benefits of exercise is incorrect as this is generally considered a part of primary prevention, promoting general health to prevent various diseases.

Choice D rationale:

Helping clients understand health screenings covered by their insurance plans is incorrect because this is typically associated with secondary prevention, which involves screening to identify diseases in the earliest stages.

The nurse should first administer oxygen at 2 L/min via nasal cannula because the client has signs of hypoxemia (low oxygen saturation) and respiratory distress (increased respiratory rate) that may worsen the chest pain and myocardial ischemia. Oxygen therapy can help improve oxygen delivery to the heart muscle and reduce the workload of the heart.
The nurse should then administer sublingual nitroglycerin as prescribed because nitroglycerin is a vasodilator that can help relieve chest pain by dilating the coronary arteries and improving blood flow to the heart. Nitroglycerin can also lower blood pressure and reduce cardiac preload and afterload, which can decrease myocardial oxygen demand.
Other choices:

• Prepare the client for cardiac catheterization: This may be a later intervention if the chest pain persists or if the client has a confirmed myocardial infarction, but it is not the first priority for the nurse. Cardiac catheterization is an invasive procedure that involves inserting a catheter into a large artery and advancing it to the coronary arteries to visualize any blockages or stenosis. The procedure may also involve angioplasty or stent placement to restore blood flow to the affected area.

• Request a prescription for an increase in statin: This may be a long-term intervention to lower the client’s LDL cholesterol and prevent further plaque formation in the coronary arteries, but it is not an immediate intervention for chest pain. Statins are lipid-lowering drugs that can reduce the risk of cardiovascular events in clients with CAD, but they do not have a direct effect on chest pain or myocardial ischemia.

• Check a STAT cardiac troponin: This may be a diagnostic test to confirm or rule out a myocardial infarction, but it is not an intervention for chest pain. Cardiac troponin is a protein that is released into the bloodstream when there is damage to the heart muscle. Elevated levels of cardiac troponin indicate a myocardial infarction or other cardiac injury.

• Request a prescription for a beta-blocker: This may be an adjunctive therapy to reduce chest pain and prevent complications, but it is not the first-line intervention for chest pain. Beta-blockers are drugs that block the effects of adrenaline on the heart and blood vessels, which can lower heart rate, blood pressure, and myocardial oxygen demand. Beta-blockers can also prevent arrhythmias and reduce mortality in clients with CAD.