Difficulty: Medium
Average Score: 63%
Full-length
The physician has ordered a sputum culture for a client with a productive cough. Which action should the nurse take to obtain the specimen?
Correct answer
A
Rationale
A sputum culture requires a deep cough into a sterile container to collect lower respiratory secretions. Suctioning is invasive, mouth rinsing may dilute the sample, and nebulizers are not used for culture collection.