A nurse manager has recently become aware of a conflict between the pharmacy and the staff nurses regarding sending and receiving medications. Which of the following actions should the nurse take first to resolve the conflict?

Rationale: A. The first step in conflict resolution is to clearly define and understand the issue. Without identifying the underlying problem, any attempted solutions may be ineffective or miss the root cause. The nurse manager should gather information from all parties involved, clarify perceptions, and determine the specific source of the conflict. B. This is premature. Implementing a solution without fully understanding the problem may fail to address the root cause and could worsen the conflict. Resolution should only occur after problem identification and discussion of possible strategies. C. Brainstorming is part of the problem-solving process but comes after identifying and defining the problem. Generating ideas without understanding the core issue may not result in effective solutions. D. Evaluation is the final step in conflict resolution. The nurse manager assesses whether the implemented solution effectively resolved the conflict. Doing this first would be ineffective because no solution has yet been applied.