A nurse is providing dietary teaching to a client who has a new diagnosis of irritable bowel syndrome. Which of the following recommendations should the nurse include?

A. "This medication can cause nausea and drowsiness.": Gastrointestinal upset, including nausea, and central nervous system effects such as drowsiness or mild tremor are common early adverse effects of lithium. Clients should be monitored for symptom severity and reassured that these effects often diminish over time.

B. "You will be placed on a low-sodium diet while taking this medication": Lithium excretion is highly dependent on sodium levels; however, clients are advised to maintain a consistent, adequate sodium intake rather than restricting sodium. A low-sodium diet can increase lithium retention and risk toxicity.

C. "It will take at least a week before this medication reaches a therapeutic level.": Lithium requires several days to reach a steady-state concentration in the blood. Clients and caregivers should understand that therapeutic effects on mood stabilization may not be immediate, and monitoring serum levels is necessary.

D. "This medication can cause weight gain.": Weight gain is a recognized long-term adverse effect of lithium therapy, likely related to metabolic changes and fluid retention. Clients should be counseled on healthy diet and activity to help mitigate this effect.

E. "Blurred vision is an expected adverse effect of this medication": Blurred vision is not an expected or common side effect of lithium. If it occurs, it may indicate toxicity or another ophthalmologic issue, requiring immediate evaluation.

A. Schedule nursing staff training for infection control procedures: While staff education is essential to prevent catheter-associated infections, initiating training before identifying specific contributing factors may not address the root cause. Education should be targeted based on identified needs.

B. Revise the current policy for catheter care: Policy revision can improve compliance and standardization of care, but changing protocols without understanding why infections have increased may be ineffective or unnecessary.

C. Identify possible precipitating factors related to the infections: The first step in quality improvement is to assess and identify the underlying causes of the problem. Determining precipitating factors allows the facility to implement targeted interventions that effectively reduce catheter-associated infections.

D. Meet with providers to discuss measures to decrease the infections: Collaboration with providers is important for multidisciplinary interventions, but this should occur after identifying factors contributing to the increase in infections to ensure discussions are evidence-based and focused.