A 50-Year-Old Patient Who Recently Quit Smoking Reports a Frequent

A 50-year-old patient who recently quit smoking reports a frequent morning cough productive of yellow sputum.A chest x-ray is clear,and the patient's FEV₁ is 80% of predicted.Pulse oximetry reveals an oxygen saturation of 97%.The primary care NP auscultates clear breath sounds.The NP should:

A) reassure the patient that these symptoms will subside.
B) prescribe a moderate-dose ICS twice daily.
C) order a long-acting anticholinergic with albuterol twice daily.
D) prescribe an albuterol metered-dose-inhaler, 2 puffs every 4 hours as needed.