What should the nurse do after performing hand hygiene before assisting a patient with a gown change to promote infection control?

After performing hand hygiene, the most appropriate action for the nurse to take is to apply clean gloves before assisting a patient with a gown change. This practice is essential for promoting infection control as it creates a barrier between the nurse's hands and any potential contaminants during the gown change process. Gloves protect both the healthcare provider and the patient from the transmission of pathogens.

Applying clean gloves after hand hygiene also aligns with standard precautions, which dictate that gloves should be used when there is a risk of contact with blood, body fluids, or potentially contaminated surfaces. By wearing gloves, the nurse ensures that their hands remain clean and minimizes the risk of introducing any pathogens to the patient's skin or clothing.

Considering other options, placing the gown in the linen hamper or determining if the gown is wet or soiled would come after ensuring the nurse's hands and the patient's environment are safe—these actions do not directly promote infection control immediately after hand hygiene. Measuring the patient's temperature is also unrelated to the immediate action of changing a gown and does not directly impact the infection control measures required in this scenario.