A nurse is planning care for a client who is recovering from an acute myocardial infarction that occurred 3 days ago. Which of the following interventions should the nurse include?

Choice A reason: Wearing gloves prevents nicotine absorption through the nurse’s skin during patch application, ensuring safety and preventing side effects like dizziness. This adheres to standard precautions, critical for occupational health, maintaining hygiene, and ensuring effective nicotine therapy for clients in smoking cessation programs.

Choice B reason: Removing the previous patch is correct but placing it in tissue is inadequate; it should be folded and disposed in a sharps container. Assuming tissue disposal is sufficient risks improper handling, potentially exposing others to nicotine, critical to avoid in safe patch management.

Choice C reason: Applying the patch within 1 hour of pouch removal is unnecessary; patches remain stable longer. Wearing gloves is priority. Assuming time restriction risks rushed application, potentially compromising technique, critical to prevent in ensuring safe and effective nicotine patch therapy for smoking cessation.

Choice D reason: Shaving hairy areas risks skin irritation; trimming is preferred before patch application. Wearing gloves is essential. Assuming shaving is correct risks skin damage, reducing patch adhesion, critical to avoid in ensuring proper application and effective nicotine delivery in smoking cessation therapy.

Choice A reason: Confirming the client’s perception of the crisis is the first step, establishing trust and understanding their emotional state, critical for effective intervention. This guides tailored support, essential for addressing depression in a situational crisis, ensuring therapeutic communication, and promoting coping in mental health care settings.

Choice B reason: Teaching relaxation techniques is useful but secondary to understanding the client’s crisis perception, which informs interventions. Assuming techniques are first risks misaligned support, potentially escalating distress, critical to avoid in ensuring effective crisis management for clients with depression experiencing situational stressors.

Choice C reason: Identifying strengths supports coping but follows confirming the client’s crisis perception, which sets the therapeutic foundation. Prioritizing strengths risks overlooking the client’s immediate emotional needs, potentially delaying effective intervention, critical to prevent in managing depression during a situational crisis in mental health care.

Choice D reason: Notifying a support person is secondary to understanding the client’s crisis perception, which guides initial intervention. Assuming notification is first risks bypassing the client’s perspective, potentially reducing trust, critical to avoid in ensuring client-centered care for depression in situational crisis management.