A nurse is caring for a client who has a prescription for NPH insulin 10 units and regular insulin 15 units subcutaneously. After injecting 10 units of air into the NPH insulin vial, which of the following actions should the nurse take next?

Lowering the side rails of the bed could lead to the client falling from the bed. Instead raise the side rails and place padding on them.

Measuring the seizure duration is a crucial step for medical evaluation afterwards necessary for determining intervention.

Inserting an oral airway into the client's mouth is not indicated during a tonic-clonic seizure. It is generally not recommended to place any objects or devices into the mouth of a person having a seizure, as it can potentially cause injury to the person or damage to the airway.

This step is part of the process when mixing NPH and regular insulin in a single syringe. After injecting air into the NPH insulin vial, you should inject an equal amount of air (in this case, 15 units) into the regular insulin vial to maintain pressure balance. This allows for easy withdrawal of the prescribed doses of each insulin type in the same syringe without causing a vacuum in the vials.

After injecting air into the NPH insulin vial (step 1), the nurse should proceed to inject air into the regular insulin vial (step 2) before withdrawing the insulin doses in the subsequent steps.

Verifying the dosage with another nurse is not necessary in this step, as it is done prior to drawing up the insulin. However, it is good practice to have another nurse double-check the dosage before administration.

Injecting air into the regular insulin vial is not required at this stage. It is only necessary when withdrawing the regular insulin dose.

Placing the cap over the needle should be done after withdrawing the desired dose of insulin and before administering it to the client for safety and to prevent needlestick injuries.

The correct sequence when mixing NPH and regular insulin in a single syringe is as follows:

1. Inject air into the NPH insulin vial (in this case, 10 units of air).
2. Inject air into the regular insulin vial (in this case, 15 units of air).
3. Withdraw the prescribed dose of NPH insulin (10 units) from the NPH vial.
4. Withdraw the prescribed dose of regular insulin (15 units) from the regular insulin vial.

So, after injecting air into the NPH insulin vial (step 1), the nurse should proceed to inject air into the regular insulin vial (step 2) before withdrawing the insulin doses in the subsequent steps.