Final answer:
Before administering hydrochlorothiazide, a nurse should review the client's allergy history, check blood pressure, and assess serum potassium levels. While the allergy history is critical to avoid allergic reactions, monitoring blood pressure and potassium is essential due to HCTZ's effect on these parameters.
Step-by-step explanation:
When preparing to administer hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ), a nurse should perform several safety checks to ensure optimal care for the client. Hydrochlorothiazide is a thiazide diuretic commonly used to treat hypertension, and not hypotension as mentioned in some contexts. This medication works by inhibiting the reabsorption of sodium (Na+) and chloride (Cl-) ions in the distal convoluted tubule, not the loop of Henle, leading to increased urinary output.
Review the client's allergy history is a crucial step before administering any medication to prevent allergic reactions. Checking the client's blood pressure is essential due to the hypotensive effect of HCTZ. Also, assessing the serum potassium level is imperative since thiazide diuretics can cause hypokalemia by increasing potassium secretion in the urine. Lastly, monitoring the client's urinary output is important during treatment, but as a pre-administration check, it may not be critical unless the patient has a history of oliguria or anuria, which might indicate renal impairment.
To directly answer the question, the nurse should review the client's allergy history to identify any potential adverse reactions to HCTZ. However, clinically, it would also be prudent to check the client's blood pressure and assess their serum potassium level before administering the drug. This is because HCTZ can cause a drop in blood pressure and potassium levels, and these parameters need to be within safe limits to proceed with administration.