What should the nurse do during postmortem care for a deceased client?

The correct action during postmortem care involves identifying the client using two identifiers. This is crucial for ensuring that the right individual is being cared for and documented. Identifying the client properly serves to maintain accuracy and respect, especially in a sensitive situation involving death.

Using two identifiers, such as the client’s name and date of birth or medical record number, helps prevent any mistakes in identification and ensures that all processes following death are conducted appropriately and respectfully. Proper identification is a standard protocol in healthcare settings to uphold patient safety and dignity, even after death.

While documenting the time of death and notifying family members are important tasks in the postmortem process, they are typically done after ensuring accurate identification of the client. Similarly, removing personal belongings is a standard procedure but must be performed with the client properly identified first. Thus, the priority in postmortem care is to ensure that the client is accurately identified before proceeding with other interventions.