A nurse is caring for a client who is receiving 0.45% sodium chloride. Which of the following actions should the nurse take?

Choice A reason: Removing restraints immediately risks safety, as the client’s calm state may not be sustained. Restraints require gradual removal after ensuring sustained behavioral stability, per facility policy and safety standards. Frequent monitoring is needed to assess ongoing safety, making this action premature and potentially unsafe.
Choice B reason: Encouraging group therapy is inappropriate while the client remains in restraints, as it does not address the immediate need to evaluate their behavior for safe restraint removal. Therapy may be beneficial later, but ongoing monitoring is the priority to ensure safety and compliance with restraint protocols.
Choice C reason: Continuing to monitor the client every 15 minutes ensures safety while assessing sustained calm and cooperative behavior. This adheres to restraint protocols, which require frequent checks to evaluate the need for continued restraint, prevent complications, and plan for safe removal, making it the correct action.
Choice D reason: Administering a sedative to maintain calm behavior is inappropriate without a current medical order or ongoing aggression. Sedatives carry risks like oversedation or respiratory depression. Monitoring the client’s behavior is the priority to determine if restraints can be safely discontinued, making this action unnecessary and potentially harmful.

Choice A reason: Taking diuretics with the evening meal increases nighttime urination, worsening urge incontinence by stimulating bladder activity during sleep. Diuretics should be taken earlier (e.g., morning) to align with daytime voiding schedules, reducing urgency episodes. This instruction is counterproductive for bladder retraining, making it inappropriate.
Choice B reason: Planning to urinate every 3 hours while awake establishes a scheduled voiding regimen, a key component of bladder retraining. This helps condition the bladder to delay urgency, reducing involuntary contractions and improving control. It aligns with evidence-based strategies for managing urge incontinence, making it the correct instruction.
Choice C reason: Limiting fluid intake to 1 liter per day risks dehydration and concentrated urine, which can irritate the bladder and worsen urge incontinence. Adequate hydration (2-3 L/day) supports bladder health and retraining by maintaining normal urine volume, making this instruction harmful and incorrect.
Choice D reason: Performing Kegel exercises once daily is insufficient for effective bladder retraining. Multiple daily sets (e.g., 3-4 times) strengthen pelvic floor muscles, improving bladder control. This frequency is too low to achieve therapeutic benefits for urge incontinence, making it less effective than scheduled voiding.