A nurse is caring for a client who has pruritus following treatment for scabies. Which of the following actions should the nurse take?

Choice A rationale: Laser therapy, particularly excimer laser, is sometimes used for localized psoriasis lesions. It targets specific areas of affected skin without affecting surrounding healthy skin.
Choice B rationale: Corticosteroids are commonly used to reduce inflammation in psoriasis. They can help relieve itching, redness, and swelling associated with psoriatic lesions.
Choice C rationale: Tar preparations, such as coal tar, are another treatment option for psoriasis. They can help slow down the growth of skin cells, reduce inflammation, and alleviate scaling.
Choice D rationale: Topical antibiotics are not typically used in the treatment of psoriasis. Psoriasis is not primarily caused by a bacterial infection, and antibiotics would not address the underlying inflammatory process.
Choice E rationale: Ultraviolet (UV) light therapy, either natural sunlight or artificial UVB light, is a common treatment for psoriasis. Exposure to UV light can slow down the excessive growth of skin cells and reduce inflammation.

- A: Swabbing the wound bed is an essential step in obtaining a wound culture, but it is not the first action that should be taken. This step is performed after the wound has been cleansed to ensure that the sample is not contaminated with debris or bacteria from the surrounding skin.
- B: Cleansing the area around the wound with sterile saline is the correct first step. This action helps to remove any contaminants or debris from the wound surface, ensuring that the culture obtained is from the wound itself and not from the surrounding skin, which could lead to inaccurate results.
- C: Donning sterile gloves is a crucial step to maintain sterility during the procedure. However, it is not the first action because the nurse must first cleanse the wound area to prevent contamination of the culture specimen.
- D: Placing the collection tube in a specimen bag is done after obtaining the wound culture to transport the specimen to the laboratory. This is one of the final steps in the process, not the first.