A charge nurse is teaching a group of staff members about hand hygiene. Which of the following information should the nurse include in the teaching?

A. Delayed gastric emptying (gastroparesis) typically manifests with symptoms related to the gastrointestinal system, such as nausea, vomiting, bloating, and early satiety. It does not cause changes in lung auscultation findings.
B. Pulmonary edema is characterized by the accumulation of fluid in the lungs, leading to symptoms such as shortness of breath, crackles (rales) on lung auscultation, and possibly decreased oxygen saturation. While pulmonary edema can cause abnormal lung sounds, it is less likely in a client recovering from a lacerated spleen unless there are additional complications or comorbidities.
C. Atelectasis refers to the collapse or closure of a part of the lung, resulting in reduced or absent air exchange. It can occur due to prolonged bedrest, shallow breathing, or conditions that restrict lung expansion. A client who has been on bedrest for several days is at increased risk for developing atelectasis, especially in the lower lobes where ventilation may be compromised. Decreased breath sounds in the lower lobes suggest atelectasis as a likely condition.
D. An upper respiratory infection typically affects the upper airways (nose, throat, sinuses), causing symptoms such as nasal congestion, sore throat, cough, and sometimes fever. Lung auscultation findings in an upper respiratory infection are more likely to include rhonchi or wheezes rather than decreased breath sounds in the lower lobes.

A. Communicability refers to the ability of a pathogen, such as a virus, to spread from one person to another. If a virus undergoes a mutation that increases its communicability, it means that the virus can more readily transmit from an infected person to others. This could be due to changes in viral proteins that enhance attachment to host cells, increase viral shedding, or improve survival in the environment.
B. This statement describes the concept of the infectious dose, not communicability. Infectious dose refers to the amount of virus (or pathogen) required to establish an infection in a susceptible host. A mutation that lowers the infectious dose could potentially increase the likelihood of infection, but it does not directly relate to communicability.

C. Environmental stability refers to the ability of a virus to survive outside of a host and remain capable of causing infection. While environmental stability can contribute to the overall transmission of a virus, it does not specifically define communicability, which focuses on person-to-person spread.
D. Disease severity refers to the impact of infection on the health of an individual, ranging from mild symptoms to severe illness and potential mortality. A mutation that increases disease severity does not necessarily affect communicability unless severe disease leads to behaviors that enhance transmission (e.g., increased shedding of virus).