Final answer:
The best statement a nurse can make to determine a client's understanding of discharge instructions is to ask the client to repeat the instructions in their own words ensuring that the content is correctly comprehended and remembered.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement made by the nurse that can best help determine if the client understood the discharge instructions is C. Please repeat back in your own words the instructions I gave you. This approach is effective because it requires the client to process and verbalize the information in their own terms demonstrating their understanding. It is similar to the principle that material is more effectively retained when it is meaningful.
By asking the client to rephrase the instructions, the nurse can assess the client's understanding and correct any misconceptions immediately. This also ensures that the content is loaded in the client's memory in a way that is more likely to be recalled after they leave the healthcare setting.