Using the ABC framework, what is the priority assessment for any client?

ABC (Airway, Breathing, Circulation) is the foundational priority framework in nursing and emergency care. The order reflects time-to-death: without airway, death in 4-6 minutes (brain damage starts in 3 min); without breathing, similar; without circulation, similar but slightly longer. A — AIRWAY: Is it open? Is it protected (gag reflex, consciousness sufficient to clear secretions)? Signs of compromise: stridor, gurgling, snoring, choking, drooling, inability to speak. Interventions: position (head-tilt-chin-lift, jaw thrust if trauma), suction, oral/nasal airway, intubation. B — BREATHING: Rate (12-20 normal adult), depth, effort, symmetry, oxygenation (SpO2). Signs of compromise: tachypnea/bradypnea, accessory muscle use, retractions, paradoxical chest movement, cyanosis, decreased breath sounds, wheezing/crackles/rhonchi. Interventions: positioning (Fowler's), oxygen, nebulizers, ventilation support, chest tube. C — CIRCULATION: Heart rate, rhythm, blood pressure, capillary refill, skin color/temperature, pulses, mental status (early sign of perfusion problems), urine output, bleeding. Signs of compromise: tachycardia/bradycardia, hypotension, weak/absent pulses, cool/pale/diaphoretic skin, altered mental status, delayed cap refill. Interventions: control bleeding, IV access, fluids, vasopressors, CPR if pulseless. Extended frameworks: ABCDE adds D = Disability (neurological assessment), E = Exposure (full body exam, environmental control); ABCDEFG adds F = Fluids/Family, G = Glucose. Maslow's hierarchy supplements ABC: physiological needs (air, water, food, sleep, shelter, warmth) → safety → love/belonging → esteem → self-actualization. When prioritizing among clients: airway problems before breathing before circulation before disability; acute problems before chronic; unstable before stable; new findings before known issues. ABC overrides Maslow when both apply.