At the first dressing change, the practical nurse (PN) tells the client that her mastectomy incision is healing well, but the client refuses to look at the incision and refuses to talk about it. Which response by the PN to the client's silence is best?

When a client refuses to look at their mastectomy incision and refuses to talk about it, the best response by the practical nurse (PN) is to respect the client's autonomy and validate their feelings. Option a) acknowledges the client's discomfort and provides reassurance that it is okay for them to decline to look or talk about the incision at the moment. It also offers support by letting the client know that the incision will be available for examination when they feel ready to do so.