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Question

Difficulty: MediumBasic Care and Comfort

An older adult client is receiving care in a skilled nursing facility three days after undergoing a right above-the-knee amputation. While organizing the client's daily basic care routine, which action is the most appropriate for the practical nurse to implement?

  1. Position the client flat on their abdomen for 30 minutes several times a day.Answer
  2. B
    Keep the residual limb elevated on pillows to minimize ongoing dependent edema.
  3. C
    Instruct the assistive personnel to assess the surgical incision for signs of infection during the bed bath.
  4. D
    Administer the prescribed routine oral analgesic without checking an identification band because the resident is familiar.

Answer

Positioning the client flat on their abdomen (prone) for 30 minutes several times a day.
To prevent hip flexion contractures following an above-the-knee amputation, the client should be placed in the prone position (flat on the abdomen) for 20 to 30 minutes, 3 to 4 times a day. This intervention straightens the hip joint, stretches the flexor muscles, and is a critical aspect of promoting optimal mobility and body alignment during recovery.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the client's surgical procedure and current postoperative day.
The client had a right above-the-knee amputation three days ago.
The timing after surgery determines the appropriate positioning and care guidelines.
2
Identify the primary mobility and comfort risk for this client.
Hip flexion contractures are a major risk following a lower extremity amputation.
Contractures prevent proper body alignment and inhibit the future fitting and use of a prosthetic limb.
3
Evaluate the options to determine which intervention correctly addresses basic care, safety, and positioning.
The prone position stretches the hip flexor muscles, effectively preventing contracture development.
Ensuring proper body alignment is a fundamental nursing responsibility in basic care and comfort.

Key Concept

Postoperative Positioning and Contracture Prevention
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Topics

Basic Care and Comfort

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