The nurse working in a critical care unit (CCU) is assigned the care of two clients, one with pneumonia who is being mechanically ventilated, and the other who had a thoracotomy yesterday and is reporting incisional pain. Which action(s) should the nurse perform first?

A. Obtain blood glucose level: The first step is to check the client’s blood glucose so the correct insulin dose can be determined according to the sliding scale prescription. Without this value, safe and accurate dosing cannot be achieved.

B. Draw insulin into insulin syringe: After verifying the prescription, the correct amount of insulin is drawn up. This ensures accuracy and avoids delays once the injection site has been prepared, maintaining sterility and efficiency.

C. Verify the insulin prescription: Before drawing up the insulin, the nurse or client must compare the blood glucose result with the sliding scale prescription to determine the exact dose required. This prevents medication errors and ensures correct administration.

D. Cleanse the selected site: The last step before injection is cleansing the skin with an alcohol swab. This minimizes infection risk and prepares the area for insulin administration after the correct dose has been measured.

A. Encourage the wife to voice her feelings about having a husband with Parkinson's disease: While it is important to provide emotional support and encourage expression of feelings, this does not address her specific question about alternative or complementary cures.

B. Tell the wife that her husband's neurologist would know more about alternative treatments to cure Parkinsonism: Referring to the neurologist may seem appropriate, but it avoids answering the wife’s concern directly.

C. Explain that there are no known conventional, alternative, or complimentary therapies that cure Parkinson's disease: Parkinson’s is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder, and while medications and some therapies can manage symptoms, no cure currently exists. This response provides clear, evidence-based information and directly answers the wife’s question.

D. Compile a list of alternative medications that are effective in curing Parkinson's disease: No alternative or complementary medications have been proven to cure Parkinson’s disease. Providing such a list would give false hope and misinformation.