A nurse educator is teaching student nurses about droplet precautions. The educator emphasizes the differences between indications for droplet precautions versus airborne precautions. Which of the following statements about droplet precautions are correct? (SELECT ALL THAT APPLY)

A. By critically thinking about client care, nurses can assess situations, analyze data, evaluate options, and make informed decisions that contribute to the delivery of high-quality care. Critical thinking helps nurses identify priorities, anticipate potential complications, and adapt care plans based on individual client needs and responses.

B. While critical thinking is important in research and evidence-based practice, its primary role in client care is to ensure that nursing interventions are well-reasoned, evidence-based, and tailored to meet the specific needs of clients. While clients may benefit indirectly from evidence-based care resulting from nursing research, client care primarily focuses on immediate clinical decision-making and management.

C. Critical thinking involves analyzing various aspects of client care, including physiological, psychological, and social phenomena. By critically analyzing these phenomena, nurses can understand underlying issues, identify contributing factors to health conditions, and determine appropriate nursing interventions to promote health and well-being. This process helps nurses make sense of complex client situations and provide holistic care.

D. Critical thinking enables nurses to consider multiple options or strategies for nursing actions. By critically evaluating these options based on client assessment data, evidence-based practice guidelines, and ethical principles, nurses can make informed decisions about the most effective and appropriate interventions for their clients. This ensures that nursing care is individualized and responsive to the unique needs and preferences of each client.

D. This refers to the inability to clear secretions or obstructions from the respiratory tract to maintain airway patency. Based on the client's complaint of difficulty moving mucus from the throat to the mouth for expectoration, ineffective airway clearance is the priority problem. The client's reluctance to cough and deep breathe due to pain further exacerbates this issue, as effective airway clearance is crucial for preventing complications such as respiratory infections or atelectasis post-operatively.

A. Activity intolerance refers to insufficient physiological or psychological energy to endure or complete required or desired daily activities. In the case of a one-day post-operative client experiencing difficulty clearing mucus, activity intolerance is not the priority problem. The client's main issue is related to respiratory function and airway clearance rather than overall activity tolerance.

B. This refers to abnormal respiratory rate, depth, or rhythm that does not provide adequate ventilation. While the client's complaint of difficulty moving mucus and reluctance to cough or deep breathe suggests some respiratory discomfort, the main issue appears to be the inability to effectively clear airway secretions rather than an overall ineffective breathing pattern.

C. This refers to the inability to exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide across the alveolar-capillary membranes. While mucus in the throat can potentially affect gas exchange if it obstructs airflow significantly, the client's primary complaint is about difficulty clearing mucus rather than signs and symptoms of inadequate oxygenation or ventilation.