To assess a female client for hirsutism, which action should the nurse take?

Rationale: A. Observe the hair shafts on the client's scalp: Observing scalp hair provides information about hair texture, thickness, or loss but does not help assess hirsutism. Hirsutism refers specifically to excessive hair growth in areas where women typically have minimal hair, not the scalp. B. Apply and release light pressure to the skin: Applying pressure to the skin is used to assess for skin turgor, edema, or blanching but is unrelated to evaluating abnormal hair growth patterns like hirsutism. C. Lightly palpate over the client's entire scalp: Scalp palpation assesses for tenderness, lesions, or scalp integrity. It does not evaluate for the presence of androgenic hair patterns on the face or body that characterize hirsutism. D. Assess the appearance of the client's face: Hirsutism most commonly appears as coarse, dark hair on the upper lip, chin, cheeks, and sometimes the chest or back in women. Visual assessment of the client's face is critical for identifying the presence and severity of this condition.