A nurse is admitting a school-age child who has bacterial meningitis. Which of the following types of isolation precautions should the nurse initiate?

Correct Answer: B. Position the sterile drape leaving the perineum exposed.

Rationales

A. Lubricate the catheter with water-soluble gel.
Lubrication is important to reduce urethral trauma, but this is not the first step once the sterile field is prepared. It comes after draping and cleansing, just before catheter insertion.

B. Position the sterile drape leaving the perineum exposed.
This is the first action after donning sterile gloves and preparing the field. Draping maintains a sterile environment and provides access to the insertion site. Ensuring sterility from the beginning is critical for preventing catheter-associated infections.

C. Cleanse the client’s meatus with antiseptic solution.
Cleansing the meatus is done after draping to reduce the risk of introducing microorganisms during catheter insertion. Although essential, it is not the very first step once the sterile procedure begins.

D. Attach a prefilled syringe to the catheter inflation hub.
The balloon should not be prepared or inflated until after the catheter has been inserted and urine return is observed. Attaching the syringe too early may risk accidental inflation outside the bladder.

A. "Incident report completed. A copy will be placed in the client's medical record." This statement indicates the completion of the incident report but lacks essential information about what incident occurred. It does not provide details necessary for understanding the nature of the incident.
B. "Prescribed dressing change was accidentally omitted during the previous shift." This statement clearly identifies the nature of the incident, stating that a prescribed dressing change was missed. It provides factual information without assigning blame, which is appropriate for an incident report.
C. "A nurse accidentally omitted a prescribed dressing change. Will notify the provider tomorrow." While this statement acknowledges the omission, it lacks details about the incident and focuses on future actions rather than accurately documenting what occurred.
D. "Unable to complete a prescribed dressing change. However, dressing did not appear to be soiled." This statement does not accurately represent the situation. It implies that the dressing change was not completed due to the dressing not appearing soiled, which may not be the case. It does not acknowledge the omission of the prescribed dressing change.