A nurse is teaching a client who has a newly documented latex allergy. Which of the following statements by the client indicates an understanding of the teaching?

Choice A reason: Asking if the client informed her provider about family disagreement shifts focus from addressing her emotional needs to a procedural question. It does not facilitate therapeutic communication or explore the client’s feelings about her family’s opposition. This response fails to support the client’s autonomy or address the psychological impact of her decision, making it less effective in this context.
Choice B reason: Restating the client’s concern about family disagreement uses reflective listening, a therapeutic technique that validates her feelings and encourages further discussion. This approach fosters trust, helps the client process her emotions, and supports her autonomy in deciding on the mastectomy, aligning with patient-centered care principles for addressing sensitive decisions.
Choice C reason: Stating that the nurse would make the same decision introduces personal bias, which is inappropriate in therapeutic communication. It shifts focus from the client’s needs to the nurse’s perspective, potentially undermining the client’s autonomy. This response does not address the family’s opposition or support the client’s decision-making process, making it ineffective.
Choice D reason: Suggesting the client needs family agreement before signing consent undermines her autonomy as a competent adult. Informed consent requires only the client’s understanding and agreement, not family approval. This response dismisses the client’s decision-making capacity and fails to address her emotional concerns about family opposition, making it inappropriate.

Choice A reason: Measuring the apical pulse (at the heart) simultaneously with the radial pulse (at the wrist) by two nurses accurately detects a pulse deficit, which occurs when heartbeats do not translate to peripheral pulses, often in arrhythmias like atrial fibrillation. This method quantifies the difference, aiding diagnosis and treatment, making it the correct approach.
Choice B reason: Comparing carotid pulses at rest and after standing assesses orthostatic changes, not a pulse deficit. A pulse deficit reflects a discrepancy between central and peripheral pulses, not positional changes. This action is irrelevant to detecting pulse deficits, as it does not compare simultaneous heart and peripheral pulse rates.
Choice C reason: Deflating a blood pressure cuff while palpating the brachial pulse is used to measure blood pressure, not to assess a pulse deficit. This method does not compare central and peripheral pulses simultaneously, which is necessary to identify a deficit, making it an incorrect approach for this assessment.
Choice D reason: Assessing both radial pulses simultaneously evaluates symmetry but not a pulse deficit, which requires comparing the apical (heart) pulse with a peripheral pulse. This method misses the central-peripheral comparison critical for detecting discrepancies caused by arrhythmias, making it inadequate for assessing a pulse deficit.