Difficulty: Medium
Average Score: 76%
Full-length
The nurse is caring for a client who is postoperative day 1 after a thyroidectomy. Which of the following actions is the PRIORITY?
Correct answer
A
Rationale
Monitoring for neck swelling is the priority to detect hematoma, a life-threatening complication post-thyroidectomy that can cause airway obstruction. Options B, C, and D are important but secondary: pain management, respiratory exercises, and incision checks follow airway safety.