A nurse is educating a postoperative client on how to use an incentive spirometer. What is an accurate statement that should be included in the education plan?

Choice A reason: Epiglottitis is an acute bacterial infection causing epiglottal swelling, primarily in children, leading to airway obstruction. Postoperative pneumonia, caused by bacterial infection or aspiration, increases mucus production and impairs gas exchange but does not typically cause epiglottal inflammation. Assessing for epiglottitis is irrelevant, as it’s unrelated to pneumonia’s pathophysiology, which involves alveolar consolidation and impaired oxygenation.

Choice B reason: Bronchospasm involves airway constriction due to smooth muscle contraction, common in asthma or COPD. Postoperative pneumonia, characterized by alveolar infection and consolidation, reduces lung compliance and gas exchange but rarely causes bronchospasm. Assessing for bronchospasm is less relevant, as pneumonia primarily affects alveoli, not bronchial smooth muscle, making this an unlikely complication to monitor.

Choice C reason: Atelectasis, the collapse of alveoli, is a common postoperative complication, especially with pneumonia, due to mucus accumulation and reduced lung expansion. This impairs gas exchange, increasing hypoxia risk. Frequent assessment for atelectasis, indicated by diminished breath sounds and hypoxemia, is critical, as it exacerbates pneumonia’s effects on alveolar ventilation and requires interventions like deep breathing exercises.

Choice D reason: Croup is a viral infection causing laryngeal and tracheal swelling, primarily in children, leading to a barking cough. Postoperative pneumonia in adults involves bacterial alveolar infection, not upper airway inflammation. Assessing for croup is inappropriate, as it’s unrelated to pneumonia’s pathophysiology, which focuses on lower respiratory tract consolidation and impaired gas exchange.

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.