To best minimize patient anxiety and help ensure a successful history assessment interview, the geriatric nurse first:

A. While ensuring confidentiality is crucial for building trust and encouraging openness, it is often a standard assurance given after establishing a rapport. It does not directly address immediate comfort or the setting of the interview, which can have a significant impact on the patient’s initial anxiety.
B. Explaining the reason for asking questions can help the patient understand the purpose of the interview, making them feel more comfortable and less anxious. This can also help in building trust and encouraging the patient to provide more accurate and complete information. However, this explanation usually comes after ensuring that the interview environment is comfortable and private.
C. Creating a comfortable and private environment is a critical first step. A well-arranged and private interview area helps to make the patient feel safe and at ease, reducing their anxiety and enabling them to speak more freely. It sets the stage for a more successful and effective interview.
D. Allowing the patient to ask questions about the interview can be beneficial and may help in reducing anxiety. It provides an opportunity to clarify any uncertainties the patient might have. However, this step is usually more effective after addressing the immediate comfort and privacy concerns of the interview setting.

A. When a patient is taking multiple medications, it's important to review them for potential interactions. Polypharmacy, the use of multiple medications, is common in older adults and can increase the risk of adverse drug reactions, side effects, and decreased effectiveness of medications.
B. While it's important to educate the patient about the risks of polypharmacy, the nurse's initial priority should be to assess the medications for potential interactions.
C. This is an important step in patient education, but it should be done after the nurse has reviewed the medications for potential interactions.
D. While it's important to verify the appropriateness of each medication, the nurse's initial priority should be to assess for potential interactions.