A 60-year-old patient with a diagnosis of prostate cancer is scheduled to have an interstitial implant for high-dose radiation (HDR). What safety measure should the nurse include in this patient's subsequent plan of care?

Choice A reason: Brachytherapy involves placing radioactive sources directly into the body. To protect others from ionizing radiation exposure, the nurse must implement the principles of time, distance, and shielding. Limiting visitor time (typically to 30 minutes per day) and ensuring they maintain a safe distance is a standard radiation safety protocol. Choice B reason: While encouraging independence is a general nursing goal, it is not a primary safety measure for radiation therapy. The patient may still require significant nursing assistance, and the focus of safety should be on minimizing the exposure of healthcare workers and visitors to the radiation source contained within the patient. Choice C reason: Assigning male nurses is not a standard safety protocol. Radiation safety guidelines generally advise that pregnant staff members should not care for patients with internal radiation implants, but otherwise, the gender of the nurse is irrelevant as long as they follow appropriate time and distance precautions. Choice D reason: Patients receiving internal radiation therapy should be placed in a private room with appropriate lead shielding in the walls. Sharing a room with another patient would unnecessarily increase that individual's cumulative radiation exposure, violating the fundamental safety principle of keeping exposure "As Low As Reasonably Achievable" (ALARA).