A nurse is caring for a patient with a postsurgical wound. When planning care, which goal will be the priority?

Choice A reason: The Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN) focuses on competencies like patient safety and quality improvement, not moral standards. It guides nursing education to enhance clinical skills and patient outcomes, addressing evidence-based practice and teamwork. Moral standards, involving ethical decision-making and professional conduct, are governed by the ANA Code of Ethics, not QSEN.

Choice B reason: The American Nurses Association Standards of Professional Performance outline behaviors like leadership and collaboration but focus on professional competence, not moral standards. These standards guide performance expectations, such as resource utilization and communication, rather than ethical principles like beneficence or autonomy, which are central to the ANA Code of Ethics for moral guidance.

Choice C reason: The American Nurses Association Code of Ethics provides moral standards for nursing, emphasizing principles like beneficence, nonmaleficence, autonomy, and justice. It guides ethical decision-making in patient care, addressing dilemmas like informed consent and confidentiality. This code ensures nurses uphold moral integrity in professional behavior, making it the correct guide for ethical standards.

Choice D reason: The American Nurses Association Standards of Practice define the nursing process (assessment, diagnosis, planning, etc.) but focus on clinical practice standards, not moral guidelines. These standards ensure competent care delivery but do not address ethical principles like patient autonomy or ethical dilemmas, which are covered by the ANA Code of Ethics.

Choice A reason: Administering eye drops to the lower conjunctival sac ensures optimal drug absorption and minimizes corneal irritation. The conjunctival sac, a mucous membrane, allows medication to spread across the eye surface, treating conjunctivitis by targeting bacterial or inflammatory processes. This method avoids systemic absorption via the nasolacrimal duct, enhancing local efficacy and safety.

Choice B reason: Dropping medication onto the cornea risks irritation or injury, as the cornea is a sensitive, avascular tissue responsible for light refraction. Conjunctivitis treatment requires medication to contact the conjunctiva, not the cornea directly. This method could cause discomfort and reduce drug efficacy, as it does not target the inflamed conjunctival tissue.

Choice C reason: The sclera by the outer canthus is not ideal for eye drop administration. The sclera, a tough connective tissue, has poor drug absorption compared to the conjunctival sac. Drops placed here may run off, reducing contact with the inflamed conjunctiva in conjunctivitis, leading to ineffective treatment and potential waste of medication.

Choice D reason: The sclera by the inner canthus is near the nasolacrimal duct, increasing the risk of systemic drug absorption rather than local treatment of conjunctivitis. Drops should target the lower conjunctival sac to ensure contact with the inflamed tissue, maximizing therapeutic effect while minimizing systemic side effects like tachycardia from certain medications.