Final answer:
Administering oxygen therapy requires the greatest caution when caring for a patient with COPD.
Step-by-step explanation:
When caring for a patient with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), the nursing intervention that requires the greatest caution is administering oxygen therapy. Patients with COPD have chronically high levels of carbon dioxide in their blood, which act as the primary drive for them to breathe.
Administering high levels of supplemental oxygen can suppress this drive and lead to respiratory failure. Therefore, it is important for nurses to carefully monitor oxygen therapy and titrate it to maintain a safe oxygen level for the patient.