A client is being cared for in the emergency department (ED) with acute abdominal pain and a provisional diagnosis of pancreatitis. The nurse assesses the client and obtains the results from laboratory studies. Which information is most valuable in reporting the client’s status to the healthcare provider (HCP)?

Choice A reason: Escorting the client with Huntington’s disease is best, as chorea and cognitive decline impair navigation and memory. Physical guidance ensures safety, preventing falls or disorientation in unfamiliar hospital settings, directly addressing the disease’s motor and cognitive deficits for effective cafeteria access.

Choice B reason: Orienting to a color-coding system is impractical, as Huntington’s cognitive impairments, like executive dysfunction, hinder processing complex visual cues. This approach overwhelms the client, increasing confusion, and is less effective than physical escorting to ensure safe and direct cafeteria navigation.

Choice C reason: Using a hospital map relies on spatial reasoning, which is impaired in Huntington’s due to basal ganglia degeneration. The client’s cognitive and motor deficits make map-based navigation challenging, increasing disorientation risk, making this less effective than escorting for cafeteria access.

Choice D reason: Step-by-step verbal directions require intact memory and processing, compromised in Huntington’s due to cortical and striatal atrophy. Verbal instructions may confuse the client, leading to navigation errors, making physical escorting a more reliable method to ensure safe cafeteria arrival.

Choice A reason: Teaching a family member to administer eye drops is important for post-discharge care but not immediate post-procedure. Eye protection is critical initially to prevent injury, as drops are typically nurse-administered in-hospital, making this intervention secondary.

Choice B reason: Obtaining vital signs every 2 hours monitors systemic stability but is not specific to eye surgery. Local protection of the surgical site with an eye shield prevents immediate complications like trauma, making vital signs monitoring less urgent post-procedure.

Choice C reason: Providing an eye shield for sleeping is critical immediately post-procedure, as the right eye is vulnerable to accidental trauma during sleep. The shield protects the surgical site, preventing complications like infection or displacement, making this the priority intervention for recovery.

Choice D reason: Deep breathing and coughing exercises prevent pulmonary complications in major surgeries, not minor eye procedures. These actions may increase intraocular pressure, risking surgical site damage, making this intervention inappropriate and potentially harmful post-eye surgery.