You Are Performing a Respiratory Assessment on a Male Patient

You are performing a respiratory assessment on a male patient who has smoked for the past 30 years. You are having difficulty counting his respirations. Which of the following actions would be most appropriate?

A) Place the diaphragm of the stethoscope over the trachea.
B) Place the bell of the stethoscope below the clavicle.
C) Encourage the patient to take deep breaths.
D) Stand behind the patient to assess respirations.