A nurse is telling a new mother from Africa that she shouldn't carry her baby in a sling created from a large rectangular cloth.

The African woman tells the nurse that everyone in Mozambique carries babies this way.

The nurse believes that bassinets are safer for infants. What is this scenario an example of?

A surgical sponge left in a client’s incision is a “never event”.

A “never event” is a serious, largely preventable safety incident that should not occur if the available preventative measures are implemented1.

These events include things like wrong-site surgery or foreign objects left in a person’s body after an operation2.

Choice A is incorrect because no blood incompatibility during a blood transfusion is not a “never event”.

Choice C is incorrect because a client falling in their own home is not a “never event”.

Choice D is incorrect because inserting a urinary catheter before surgery is not a “never event”.

Reduced muscle strength, sensory losses like vision and hearing, and slowing of reflexes are all expected physiological changes of the older adult that can put them at risk of falls.

Reduced muscle strength can make it more difficult for older adults to maintain balance and stability.

Sensory losses like vision and hearing can affect an older adult’s ability to perceive their environment and navigate safely.

Slowing of reflexes can make it more difficult for older adults to react quickly to changes in their environment and prevent falls.

Choice D is not an answer because dementia is not a physiological change but rather a cognitive condition that can increase the risk of falls.

Choice E is not an answer because the inability to adapt is not a specific physiological change but rather a general characteristic that can increase the risk of falls.