A patient with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is experiencing shortness of breath while breathing room air.

The patient’s pulse oximetry reading is 89% and their respiratory rate is 22. What should be the nurse’s priority action?

Choice A rationale
An exogenous infection occurs when a pathogen enters a patient’s body from their environment. For example, a healthcare worker can spread the infection due to poor adherence to infection control practices. This is not the case here as the infection is from the client’s own flora.
Choice B rationale
An endogenous infection is caused by the body’s normal flora. These microorganisms may act as opportunistic pathogens when the host is susceptible. In this case, the client’s systemic staphylococci infection originated from their own flora, making it an endogenous infection.
Choice C rationale
A community-acquired infection is one that was present or incubating prior to the patient being admitted to the hospital. Since the infection in this case originated from the client’s own flora and not from the community, this choice is incorrect.
Choice D rationale
A nosocomial infection, also known as a hospital-acquired infection, is an infection that is acquired in a hospital or other healthcare facility. Since the client’s infection originated from their own flora and not from the hospital environment, this choice is incorrect.

Choice A rationale
Discrimination refers to the unjust or prejudicial treatment of different categories of people, especially on the grounds of race, age, or sex. In this case, the physician is refusing to use a translator and only provides materials in English to patients who may not understand the language. This action can be seen as discriminatory because it denies these patients the same level of care that English-speaking patients receive.
Choice B rationale
Ethnocentrism is the belief in the inherent superiority of one’s own ethnic group or culture. While the physician’s actions may seem ethnocentric, as they are not considering the cultural needs of their patients, the scenario does not provide enough information to definitively label the behavior as such.
Choice C rationale
Stereotyping involves generalized and oversimplified beliefs about a particular group. The physician’s actions do not necessarily indicate that they are stereotyping their patients, but rather that they are not providing equitable care.
Choice D rationale
Acculturation is the process of adopting the cultural traits or social patterns of another group. The physician’s actions do not demonstrate acculturation. Instead, they show a lack of willingness to accommodate the cultural and linguistic needs of their patients.