Editing Infection Control and Safety – RN Practice Questions (section)

==Question 3==
A nurse is caring for four clients. Which client should the nurse assess '''first'''?
# A client with methicillin-resistant ''Staphylococcus aureus'' pneumonia on contact precautions who reports new dyspnea with an oxygen saturation of 87 percent on 2 liters by nasal cannula.
# A client with ''C. difficile'' who has had six loose stools in the past four hours.
# A client on airborne precautions for suspected tuberculosis whose sputum results are pending.
# A client who is two days postoperative with a temperature of 101.2 degrees Fahrenheit and a clean, dry incision.

'''Answer:''' 1. The client with new dyspnea and an oxygen saturation of 87 percent.

''Rationale:'' Prioritize by airway, breathing, and circulation, not by the drama of the isolation label. New hypoxia is an actual physiologic emergency. Option 2 is expected for the diagnosis and requires assessment of fluid and electrolyte status but is not immediately life-threatening. Option 3 is stable and already contained. Option 4 is a common expected postoperative finding, frequently atelectasis, and is assessed after the hypoxic client.