A nurse is reinforcing teaching with a client about the prevention of stress injuries. Which of the following instructions should the nurse include?

A. "Keep your knees in a locked position when standing for prolonged periods." This instruction is incorrect. Keeping knees locked can lead to muscle fatigue and increased risk of injury during prolonged standing.
B. "Bend at the waist when lifting a heavy object." This instruction is incorrect. Bending at the waist during lifting can strain the lower back and increase the risk of back injuries.
C. "Keep your feet close together when lifting a heavy object." This instruction is incorrect.
Keeping feet close together can make the base unstable and increase the risk of falling or losing balance during lifting.
D. "When lifting a heavy object, keep it close to your body." Correct. Keeping the heavy object close to the body while lifting helps reduce strain on the back and minimizes the risk of injury. This technique allows the body's core muscles to better support the weight.

The correct answer is Choice B.

Choice A rationale: Placing the client in a room with another client who has pharyngitis is not recommended. Pharyngitis can be caused by various different pathogens, not just streptococci. Co-housing clients with different infections can lead to cross-infection, complicating both clients’ conditions. Therefore, this choice is not the best option.

Choice B rationale: Ensuring that the client wears a surgical mask during transportation throughout the facility is the correct choice. Streptococcal infections are spread through respiratory droplets. A surgical mask can help prevent the spread of these droplets, protecting other clients and healthcare workers in the facility. This is a standard precaution in infection control.

Choice C rationale: Limiting the client’s visitors to visitations of 30 minutes is not necessarily beneficial. The duration of the visit does not significantly impact the risk of transmission as much as the precautions taken during the visit, such as hand hygiene and wearing a mask. Therefore, while limiting visitation time might reduce exposure, it is not the most effective measure to prevent the spread of infection.

Choice D rationale: Providing the client a room with negative pressure airflow of six air exchanges per hour is not necessary for a client with a streptococcal infection. Negative pressure rooms are typically used for clients with airborne diseases, such as tuberculosis. A streptococcal infection is spread through droplets, not airborne transmission, so a negative pressure room would not provide any additional benefit.