The 68-year-old patient is admitted after 5 days of extremely foul-smelling watery diarrhea with a temperature of 37.9°C, heart rate 118 bpm, and blood pressure 98/52 mmHg. The patient’s recent medical history is significant for being treated 2 weeks ago for a diverticulitis flare-up. Upon assessment, the patient is pale, diaphoretic, and has a tense, distended abdomen that he does not guard with palpation. Lab studies reveal an elevated creatinine (1.9 mg/dL), high white blood cell count (20,000 cells/mL), and normal hemoglobin and hematocrit. Which intervention is most important to prevent the spread of this condition to other patients? 

The nurse notes the physician has entered the room of a patient who is infected with methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus without proper personal protective equipment and begins assessing the patient. Which response by the nurse is most appropriate?

A man who has remediated water-damaged basements for over thirty years presents to an acute care clinic for ongoing breathing problems. He has never smoked, has never been exposed to asbestos, and is afebrile. The nurse knows the man is most likely suffering from what condition?