The nurse is educating a client who is preparing for abdominal surgery tomorrow. A teaching demonstration has just been completed by the nurse related to splinting the incision site with a pillow. Which statement by the client best indicates the instructions provided by the nurse were effective?

"I will put the pillow on the incision then cough."

Explanation:

Options have not been provided for the question and are not available anywhere. However, putting a pillow on the incision while coughing is one of the correct instructions that might have been provided by the nurse with respect to splinting the incision site.

After abdominal surgery the patient is usually immobile for a long time. Mucus and other secretions can start accumulating in their airway which can hinder the breathing process. To avoid this problem, they are instructed to cough at certain intervals of time to clear air passage and lungs. However, if there is an incision on the abdomen this activity can cause pain and discomfort. To avoid this situation, a pillow is placed on the incision and the patient is told to firmly hold that pillow. This action is called splinting the incision and it supports the incision and the abdominal muscles surrounding it so that the patient does not feel pain or discomfort while coughing.  

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