An adult female client, who is an office worker, comes to the occupational health dinic with an edematous right leg twice the size of the left leg. The client reports that she is otherwise healthy, smokes 2 packs of cigarettes a day, and takes birth control pills on a regular basis. Which initial nursing action should the occupational health nurse take?

A. While pain assessment is important, it's not the priority in this situation. Pain can be present in various conditions, and it doesn't necessarily indicate DVT. B. Elevating the leg can help reduce swelling but is not the initial action. The nurse needs to rule out a serious condition like DVT first. C. Applying ice and an elastic bandage might be appropriate for some types of swelling but is not the correct initial action for a sudden, unilateral leg swelling. D. The client presents with sudden, unilateral leg swelling, which is a red flag for deep vein thrombosis (DVT). DVT is a serious condition that can lead to pulmonary embolism. Therefore, the nurse's priority is to assess for signs of inflammation, which are warmth and erythema.