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Question

Difficulty: MediumHealth Promotion and Disease Prevention

A practical nurse is providing care in an outpatient family clinic that serves clients across the lifespan. When implementing health promotion and disease prevention strategies, which action by the nurse is correct?

  1. Reinforcing the provider's recommendation for a 45-year-old client with a body mass index (BMI) of 32 to engage in 150 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise weekly.Answer
  2. B
    Preparing to administer the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine to a 28-year-old client who is currently in the first trimester of pregnancy.
  3. C
    Documenting a developmental delay in the health record because a 7-month-old infant is unable to stand or walk independently.
  4. D
    Reassuring a family member that acute, severe confusion developing over the last 12 hours in a 76-year-old client is an expected change associated with aging.

Answer

Reinforcing the provider's recommendation for a 45-year-old client with a body mass index (BMI) of 32 to engage in 150 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise weekly.
Reinforcing healthy lifestyle modifications, such as regular moderate-intensity aerobic exercise, is a vital primary prevention strategy for a client with an elevated BMI. This action falls safely within the scope of practice for a practical nurse and promotes cardiovascular health while preventing chronic disease.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the practical nurse's role in health promotion and disease prevention across different developmental stages.
The nurse must reinforce safe primary and secondary prevention strategies while recognizing lifespan-specific norms and contraindications.
Effective health promotion requires accurate knowledge of normal development, aging, and medication safety.
2
Evaluate the action involving the pregnant client.
Administering the MMR vaccine to a pregnant client is incorrect and dangerous.
Live vaccines like MMR carry a risk of transmitting the virus to the fetus and are strictly contraindicated during pregnancy.
3
Evaluate the action involving the 7-month-old infant.
Documenting a developmental delay for a 7-month-old unable to walk is incorrect.
Infants typically begin walking independently between 12 and 15 months of age; expecting this at 7 months demonstrates a lack of knowledge regarding normal pediatric milestones.
4
Evaluate the action involving the older adult client.
Attributing acute confusion over a 12-hour period to normal aging is incorrect and unsafe.
Acute, rapid-onset confusion is a classic sign of delirium often caused by underlying infection, hypoxia, or medication toxicity. It requires immediate medical evaluation, unlike the gradual cognitive decline seen in dementia.
5
Evaluate the action involving the adult client with an elevated BMI.
Reinforcing the recommendation for 150 minutes of weekly aerobic exercise is the correct, health-promoting action.
This action supports weight management and cardiovascular health, representing a safe and highly effective primary prevention strategy that aligns perfectly with the practical nurse's role in patient education.

Key Concept

Health promotion requires tailoring prevention strategies to the client's lifespan stage while recognizing critical safety contraindications, normal developmental milestones, and acute pathological changes.
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Topics

Health Promotion and Disease Prevention

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