A nurse is caring for four postoperative clients. The nurse can delegate obtaining vital signs to an assistive personnel (AP) for which of the following clients?

Rationale:

A. "Use wool blankets on your bed" is not recommended as wool is a flammable material that can pose a risk with oxygen use.

B. "Store unused oxygen tanks horizontally" is not correct; tanks should be stored upright to prevent damage or leakage.

C. "Check your oxygen equipment once each week" is insufficient; equipment should be checked more frequently to ensure safety.

D. "Do not adjust the oxygen flow rate" is correct as clients should not make adjustments without medical advice to ensure proper oxygen levels are maintained.

Rationale:

A. A client who is alert and oriented makes an informed decision to leave the hospital against medical advice. The nurse applies restraints to the client to prevent him from leaving constitutes a violation of patient autonomy and could be considered false imprisonment rather than negligence.

B. A nurse identifies the absence of peripheral pulsation in a casted extremity in the early morning and reports it to the provider in the early afternoon might be considered a delay in care but does not necessarily meet the criteria for negligence unless it leads to harm.

C. A client who is competent refuses an antidepressant medication. The nurse dissolves the medication in food and administers it to her without her knowledge is an example of negligence as it violates the client’s autonomy and informed consent.

D. A nurse finds a client who is on a low-sodium diet eating salted potato chips. The nurse tells the client that she will apply wrist restraints if he does not stop eating the potato chips is inappropriate but does not specifically represent negligence; it’s more about improper behavior or coercion.