A nurse is caring for a client who is 2 days postoperative following bowel resection and reports sudden, severe abdominal pain. Which of the following actions should the nurse take first?

A. Develop a plan for the client to integrate the change into her lifestyle: Developing a plan for integrating change into one's lifestyle is more appropriate during the preparation stage when the client is actively planning to make a change. During the contemplation stage, the focus is on considering change rather than developing a detailed plan.
B. Assist the client in setting goals to make the change: Setting specific goals is more appropriate during the preparation stage when the client is actively planning to make a change. During the contemplation stage, the client is not yet ready to commit to specific goals.
C. Recommend small changes for the client to make to change her behavior over time: During the contemplation stage of health behavior change, clients are considering making a change but are not yet committed to taking immediate action. This is also more suitable for the preparation or action stages.
D. In the contemplation stage, the client is aware of the problem and is considering making a change but has not yet committed to action. Providing information about the benefits can help the client move toward the next stage of change.

Choice A reason:
Palpation can help assess for tenderness, rigidity, or masses in the abdomen, which might indicate infection, bleeding, or other complications. However, palpation could potentially worsen a condition such as an evisceration or dehiscence, or cause additional pain. Therefore, palpation should be done only after the visual inspection and with great caution in the presence of severe pain.
Choice B reason:
Percussion is useful for assessing the presence of gas, fluid, or solid masses in the abdomen. Resonance might indicate normal air-filled intestines, while dullness could suggest fluid or mass. However, percussion is not the first action in an acute setting of sudden severe pain because it does not provide immediate information that could be life-saving. It is a later step in the physical examination.
Choice C reason:
Visual inspection is the first step because it can quickly reveal critical signs such as swelling, distention, redness, or evidence of wound complications like dehiscence or evisceration. Identifying these signs early allows for rapid intervention, which could be life-saving. This is why exposing and inspecting the abdomen is the priority in the context of sudden severe pain following surgery.
Choice D reason:
Listening for bowel sounds can provide information about the function of the gastrointestinal system. Absence of bowel sounds might suggest a paralytic ileus, while hyperactive sounds could indicate a bowel obstruction. However, in the context of sudden, severe abdominal pain postoperatively, auscultation is not the first priority.