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Difficulty: EasyHigh Risk Behaviors

A community health nurse is evaluating a 22-year-old client who admits to actively injecting illicit drugs. The client states, "I know it is bad for me, but I am not ready to go to rehab or stop right now." Which of the following nursing interventions best demonstrates the principle of primary harm reduction for this client?

  1. Providing the location and hours of a local clean needle and syringe exchange program.Answer
  2. B
    Lecturing the client on the severe, life-threatening infections caused by sharing contaminated needles.
  3. C
    Instructing the client to independently taper the amount of injected drugs to avoid severe withdrawal symptoms.
  4. D
    Prioritizing a comprehensive nutritional assessment since clients using illicit substances often have poor dietary habits.

Answer

The intervention that best demonstrates harm reduction is providing the location and hours of a local clean needle and syringe exchange program.
The correct answer aligns perfectly with the core philosophy of harm reduction. This public health approach accepts that if a client is not ready or able to stop a high-risk behavior, the immediate nursing priority is to minimize the associated dangers, such as the transmission of bloodborne pathogens through shared needles.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the client's current clinical situation.
The client is engaging in a high-risk behavior (intravenous drug use) but is not ready for cessation or abstinence-based treatment.
Understanding the client's readiness to change dictates which level of intervention is appropriate.
2
Define the goal of the nursing action based on the stem.
The nurse must select an intervention that aligns with the principle of 'harm reduction'.
The question specifically asks for a harm reduction strategy rather than a cessation strategy.
3
Evaluate the options against harm reduction principles.
Providing access to clean needles directly mitigates the risk of transmitting bloodborne infections without demanding immediate abstinence.
Harm reduction acknowledges that if a client cannot stop a high-risk behavior, the immediate priority is to keep them as safe as possible and prevent secondary complications.

Key Concept

Harm Reduction Principles in High-Risk Behaviors
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Topics

High Risk Behaviors

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