Difficulty: Medium
Average Score: 78%
Simulated
While caring for a client, the nurse experiences a needle stick injury. Which of the following actions should the nurse take first?
Correct answer
C
Rationale
The correct first action for the nurse is to wash the site of injury with soap and water. This helps reduce the risk of infection. Completing an incident report (B) should be done after immediate care. Requesting consent for HIV testing (A) should not be the first step as the priority is managing the injury. Consenting to postexposure treatment (D) can come later after assessing the risk.