What is the appropriate action for a nurse when preparing to listen to a client’s breath sounds?

Listening to a client’s breath sounds is a critical aspect of assessing respiratory function. The appropriate action in this scenario is to listen for at least one full respiration in each lung location. This ensures a comprehensive evaluation of the lung sounds, which can provide vital information about the client’s respiratory health.

By listening to a full breath cycle at each location, the nurse can detect normal and abnormal breath sounds, such as wheezing, crackles, or diminished sounds, which might indicate underlying conditions such as asthma, pneumonia, or other respiratory issues. The technique involves placing the stethoscope over different areas of the lung fields, typically in a systematic way from the apices to the bases, covering both the anterior and posterior thorax.

Other options, while relevant to respiratory assessment, do not provide a complete evaluation of breath sounds. For instance, counting the respiratory rate for a brief period can be helpful but does not replace the need for comprehensive auscultation. Asking the client to breathe slowly and deeply can enhance the quality of sounds heard, but it does not ensure the nurse listens for a full cycle or in each lung zone. Auscultating while the client is coughing might yield some information, but it could also mask normal breath sounds and complicate the assessment