A nurse suspects that a coworker is diverting opioid analgesics. Which of the following is an adverse effect of opioid medications?

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.

Rationale:

A. Encouraging clients to receive an annual flu immunization is a cost-effective measure to prevent illness and reduce overall healthcare costs.

B. Waiting to empty a drainable colostomy until it is three-fourths full might not be the best practice for client comfort or prevention of leakage.

C. Recommending sterile technique for home care is important for infection prevention but not necessarily a cost-reduction strategy in the healthcare setting.

D. Delegating closed irrigation to AP may not be appropriate if it involves tasks beyond their scope of practice and does not directly relate to cost reduction.