Which nursing problem has the highest priority when planning care for a client with osteomalacia?

A. Risk for injury: Osteomalacia causes softening of the bones due to defective mineralization, leading to bone pain, deformities, and frequent fractures. The weakened skeletal structure places the client at significant risk for falls and fractures. B. Risk of infection: While infection is always a concern in healthcare, osteomalacia itself does not directly compromise immune function or predispose to infection. This makes it a lower priority compared to the immediate risk of bone injury. C. Sleep pattern disturbance: Bone pain may contribute to difficulty sleeping, but disturbed sleep is not life-threatening. It is a secondary concern that should be managed after addressing the risk of falls and fractures. D. Altered tissue perfusion: Osteomalacia is not primarily a circulatory disorder. Tissue perfusion is generally unaffected by the bone-softening process, so this problem does not take priority in care planning.