A nurse is caring for a client who is postpartum and asks the nurse why her newborn received a vitamin K injection.
The nurse should explain that the injection is administered in order to prevent which of the following complications in the newborn?

Transferring the client from the bed to a chair. This is a task that can be delegated to an assistive personnel because it does not require nursing judgment or assessment. The nurse should provide clear instructions and supervise the assistive personnel during the transfer.

Choice B is wrong because checking the client’s surgical dressing for bleeding is a nursing assessment that requires clinical judgment and cannot be delegated.

The nurse should monitor the dressing for signs of infection, drainage, or dehiscence.

Choice C is wrong because determining whether the client has incisional pain is a nursing assessment that requires communication and evaluation skills and cannot be delegated.

The nurse should assess the client’s pain level, location, quality, and duration and administer pain medication as prescribed.

Choice D is wrong because showing the client how to use an incentive spirometer is a nursing intervention that requires teaching and evaluation skills and cannot be delegated.

The nurse should instruct the client on how to use the device to promote lung expansion and prevent atelectasis.

Place the newborn on a flat surface and clap hands loudly.

This action will elicit the Moro reflex, also known as the startle reflex, which is a normal, involuntary reaction that newborns and infants have when they’re startled. In response to the sound, the baby will throw back his or her head, extend out his or her arms and legs, cry, then pull the arms and legs back in.

Choice A is wrong because placing the newborn on their abdomen and observing the movement of their extremities will not trigger the Moro reflex.

This position may elicit other reflexes such as the crawling reflex or the tonic neck reflex.

Choice B is wrong because stroking the newborn’s cheek toward their mouth will not trigger the Moro reflex. This action will elicit the rooting reflex, which helps the baby find the breast or bottle to start feeding.

Choice C is wrong because stroking upward on the lateral aspect of the newborn’s foot will not trigger the Moro reflex. This action will elicit the Babinski reflex, which causes the big toe to extend upward and the other toes to fan out.