A nurse is preparing to administer an autologous blood product to a client. Which of the following actions should the nurse take to identify the client?

A. Palms of the hands. In clients with dark skin, assessing for cyanosis is best done in areas where skin is lighter and blood vessels are more visible, such as the palms, soles, lips, mucous membranes, and conjunctiva. These sites provide clearer visual cues of decreased oxygenation.
B. Area of trauma. This area may show signs of bruising or inflammation, but it is not ideal for assessing cyanosis. Local changes in color may be due to injury, not systemic oxygenation.
C. Sacrum. The sacrum is typically assessed for pressure injuries, not for cyanosis. Its location and frequent pressure make it a less reliable site for detecting systemic color changes.
D. Shoulders. The shoulders are not reliable sites for detecting cyanosis, especially in individuals with darker skin, as color changes may be less apparent in more heavily pigmented or sun-exposed areas.

A. Match the client's blood type with the type and cross match specimen. While type and crossmatch are important for allogeneic transfusions, an autologous transfusion uses the client’s own previously donated blood, so this is not the primary method for identification.
B. Confirm the provider's prescription matches the number on the blood component. Although important, this step alone does not verify the client’s identity. The nurse must also confirm the blood unit matches the correct client.
C. Ask the client to state his blood type and the date of the blood donation. Client recall is not a reliable form of identification for transfusion safety, as it is prone to error or misunderstanding.
D. Ensure that the client's identification band matches the number on the blood unit. This is the correct and safest method to confirm identity before administering an autologous blood product. It ensures the blood product is matched to the correct patient.