The nurse completes preparation of the sterile field to change a client's dressing when the client's the dinner tray arrives. Which action should the nurse take?

Question

1. Use the sterile field on another client in another room.
2. Change the dressing using clean technique to save time.
3. Set the tray aside and proceed with the dressing change.
4. Cover the setup with a sterile drape and let the client eat.

Answer 1

3
3. Discarding the sterile setup wastes time and money, exposes the sterile field ex-cessively, and increases the client's risk of infection; this is because the longer the sterile field is open to air the greater the risk of contamination. To ensure a sterile field, the nurse would have to repeat the process of setting up the sterile supplies the-reby increasing the client's expenses. The nurse should explain to the client why the tray is set aside, efficiently finish the dressing, offer to rewarm the meal, delegate serving the tray to the UAP, and thank the client for patience and understanding.
1. The nurse avoids moving the sterile field to another client's room to decrease the risk of contamination from air currents and accidental contact.
2. A sterile procedure cannot be performed using clean technique because clean tech-nique allows more potential microorganisms at a sterile site than aseptic technique.
4. The longer the sterile field is uncovered, regardless of the sterile drape, the greater the risk of contamination.