A nurse is providing nutritional education to a patient at her first prenatal visit.

Which of the following statements should the nurse include in the teaching?

Choice A rationale
Abstaining from all alcohol consumption is a key recommendation for a healthy pregnancy. Alcohol can cause a range of developmental problems in the fetus, including fetal alcohol syndrome. Therefore, it’s best to avoid alcohol entirely during pregnancy.
Choice B rationale
Maintaining a nutritious diet rich in fruits and vegetables is essential for a healthy pregnancy. A balanced diet ensures that the mother and baby get the necessary nutrients for healthy growth and development.
Choice C rationale
Ceasing smoking immediately is another important recommendation for a healthy pregnancy. Smoking during pregnancy can lead to a variety of health problems for the baby, including premature birth, low birth weight, and sudden infant death syndrome.
Choice D rationale
Incorporating cardiovascular exercises into her workout routine is beneficial during pregnancy. Regular, moderate-intensity exercise can help manage weight gain, improve mood, and reduce pregnancy-related discomforts such as back pain and fatigue.

Choice A rationale
The nurse’s action of providing everyone with a copy of the latest research on improving the success of breastfeeding for first-time mothers aligns with the Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN) competency of Evidence-based Practice. This competency emphasizes the use of current best evidence in making decisions about the care of individual patients or the delivery of health services. By sharing the latest research, the nurse is ensuring that the care conference is informed by the most recent and relevant evidence, thereby enhancing the quality of the discussions and decisions made. This is a key aspect of evidence-based practice, which seeks to integrate clinical expertise with the best available external clinical evidence from systematic research.
Choice B rationale
While Teamwork and Collaboration is indeed a QSEN competency, it does not specifically pertain to the use of research in improving patient outcomes. This competency primarily involves functioning effectively within nursing and inter-professional teams, fostering open communication, mutual respect, and shared decision-making to achieve quality patient care. Although the nurse’s action of sharing research could be seen as contributing to teamwork and collaboration, it is more directly related to the competency of Evidence-based Practice.
Choice C rationale
Quality Improvement is another important QSEN competency, but it does not directly relate to the nurse’s action in this scenario. This competency involves using data to monitor the outcomes of care processes, and using improvement methods to design and test changes to continuously improve the quality and safety of healthcare systems. While the use of research can certainly contribute to quality improvement, the nurse’s action of sharing research on breastfeeding is more directly tied to the Evidence-based Practice competency.