A nurse is providing care for a client who is scheduled for electroconvulsive therapy. Which of the following conditions should the nurse identify as an increased risk for complications?

Rationale:
A. Encourage cultural practices to be incorporated into their care: Respecting and incorporating a Muslim client’s cultural and religious practices promotes culturally competent and patient-centered care. This approach fosters trust, comfort, and cooperation between the client and healthcare team.

B. Incorporate hot and cold practices into the client's care: Hot and cold theory is typically associated with Hispanic, Asian, and Middle Eastern folk medicine traditions, but not all Muslim clients follow this practice. Care should be based on the client’s individual beliefs.

C. Acknowledge that the client may be cared for by a male provider: Many Muslim women prefer to be cared for by female providers due to religious and cultural values of modesty. The nurse should make reasonable efforts to accommodate this preference whenever possible.

D. Have the client remove any face coverings to obtain their history: Muslim women who wear a niqab or hijab may choose to keep their face covered for modesty. The nurse should not insist on removal unless necessary for identification or assessment, and even then, it should be done privately with sensitivity to religious beliefs.

Rationale:
A. Obtain a culture specimen of the lochia from the client's perineal pad using a sterile swab: The client exhibits signs of postpartum infection, including foul-smelling lochia, fever, and elevated WBC count. Collecting a culture helps identify the causative organism and guide antibiotic therapy.

B. Instruct the client to wash her hands before and after changing her perineal pad: Hand hygiene reduces the risk of introducing additional pathogens to the uterine or perineal area, supporting infection control and client safety.

C. Initiate contact precautions: Contact precautions are typically used for highly contagious or multidrug-resistant infections. Standard precautions, including hand hygiene, are sufficient for most postpartum infections like endometritis.

D. Encourage the client to maintain a semi-Fowler's position to enhance uterine drainage: Semi-Fowler’s positioning promotes drainage of lochia, reduces uterine stasis, and helps prevent further infection or discomfort.

E. Monitor the height and tone of the client's fundus: Regular assessment of fundal height and tone is essential postpartum to detect uterine atony, retained tissue, or infection. Monitoring ensures early intervention if complications develop.

F. Request a prescription for terbutaline from the provider: Terbutaline is a tocolytic used to suppress preterm labor. There is no indication for its use in this postpartum client with uterine infection.

G. Inform the client she will need to formula feed her newborn until she has received antibiotics for 24 hr: Most antibiotics, including clindamycin, are compatible with breastfeeding. The client does not need to discontinue breastfeeding unless specifically contraindicated.