A nurse is preparing to administer potassium chloride (KCl) to a client who is receiving diuretic therapy with furosemide. The nurse reviews the client's most recent potassium level and discovers it is 3.5 mEq/L. Which of the following actions should the nurse take?

A. Calling the laboratory to verify results is only indicated when a value is critically high, critically low, or clinically inconsistent with the patient's physical presentation. A potassium level of 3.5 mEq/L is at the low end of the normal physiological range (3.5 to 5.0 mEq/L) and does not constitute a laboratory emergency. Verification would unnecessarily delay the administration of needed electrolyte replacement. B. A serum potassium level of 3.5 mEq/L is at the minimum threshold of the normal reference range. Since the client is receiving furosemide, a loop diuretic known to cause potassium depletion through renal excretion, administering the prescribed potassium chloride is appropriate to maintain normokalemia and prevent hypokalemia. The nurse should proceed with the administration to counteract the expected electrolyte losses associated with diuretic therapy. C. Holding the dose and notifying the provider is not required because the potassium level is within the normal range and the medication is indicated to prevent deficiency. Notifying the provider for a normal lab value is an inefficient use of clinical communication and may lead to the patient becoming hypokalemic. The nurse should only hold the dose if the potassium level were significantly elevated (hyperkalemia). D. Holding the dose and documenting its omission without a clinical justification or provider's order is a violation of the standards of nursing practice. Documentation of a withheld medication must include a valid physiological reason, such as an out-of-range lab value. In this case, withholding the medication puts the patient at risk for cardiac dysrhythmias and muscle weakness as the loop diuretic continues to deplete potassium stores.