On assessment, the nurse discovers the dependent male client has athlete's foot bilaterally. Be-fore delegating the bathing of the client to the nursing assistive personnel, the nurse needs to in-struct the nursing assistive personnel to:

Question

1. Use a lot of friction when washing the feet to remove the dead skin cells
2. Wash the client's feet last to avoid spreading the athlete's foot
3. Leave the feet slightly damp after washing them to prevent further drying and cracking of the skin
4. Apply the tolnaftate to the lesions on the client's feet when she is done bathing the client

Answer 1

ANS: 2
Athlete's foot can be spread to other areas of the body, so the affected areas should be bathed last to avoid cross-contamination. Excessive friction may irritate the skin and cause discomfort and further skin breakdown to the client. The skin needs to be kept dry to help prevent infection. The nurse cannot delegate the application of medication to nursing assistive personnel.