The nurse is caring for a client with otitis media and notes purulent drainage in the ear canal during the physical assessment. Which is the nurse's priority intervention?
a. Obtain a specimen of the drainage for culture.
b. Irrigate the ear canal with sterile normal saline.
c. Gently examine the client's ear with an otoscope.
d. Place a cotton ball in the ear canal to ab-sorb the drainage.
C
The nurse should use an otoscope to determine whether the client's tympanic membrane has ruptured. Until the tympanic membrane is examined and is found to be intact, syringing is not performed. A specimen is obtained only if the infection has failed to respond to standard antibi-otic therapy. A cotton ball should not be placed in the ear canal to absorb the drainage.
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