A nurse discovers information about a client on a colleague's social media page. Which of the following actions should the nurse take?

Rationale for correct choices

• Evaluating the fetal heart rate tracing: The client is at 31 weeks of gestation with decreased fetal movement, a sign of potential fetal compromise. Assessing the fetal heart rate immediately allows the nurse to determine fetal well-being and identify any signs of distress. Prompt evaluation is critical in high-risk pregnancies, especially with maternal hypertension and preeclampsia, to guide timely interventions.

• Administering antihypertensives: The client’s blood pressure readings (162/112 mm Hg and 166/110 mm Hg) indicate severe hypertension, increasing the risk for maternal complications such as stroke and eclampsia. Administering prescribed antihypertensives after assessing fetal status helps stabilize maternal blood pressure while maintaining fetal perfusion.

Rationale for incorrect choices

• Administering acetaminophen PO: While the client reports a severe headache, acetaminophen only addresses pain symptomatically and does not treat the underlying severe hypertension or fetal risk. Managing maternal blood pressure and assessing fetal status take priority over analgesic administration in this scenario.

• Obtaining 24-hour urine collection: A 24-hour urine collection to measure proteinuria is important for diagnosing preeclampsia severity, but it is not an immediate action. It is time-consuming and does not provide real-time data on maternal or fetal well-being, so it should follow urgent interventions.

• Administering antibiotics: There is no evidence of infection in the client’s assessment or laboratory findings, so antibiotics are not indicated at this time. Initiating antibiotics would not address the acute maternal or fetal risks associated with severe preeclampsia.

• Encouraging ambulation: Encouraging ambulation is inappropriate in a client with severe hypertension and decreased fetal movement because physical activity could exacerbate maternal risk and stress the fetus. Bed rest and monitoring are safer until the client is stabilized.

Rationale

• Genitourinary findings: Intermittent sensations of "squeezing or spasm" in the bladder or urinary tract are typical in multiple sclerosis due to autonomic nervous system involvement and demyelination affecting bladder control. These symptoms are less common in ALS, which primarily affects motor neurons without early autonomic involvement.

• Report about gait: Episodes of leg weakness and balance issues can occur in both ALS and MS. ALS causes progressive motor weakness affecting gait due to upper and lower motor neuron degeneration. MS can cause intermittent gait disturbances from demyelination in the central nervous system, often with exacerbations and remissions.

• Vision disturbance: Intermittent double vision is consistent with MS, reflecting demyelination of cranial nerves or the optic pathways. Visual symptoms, including diplopia or optic neuritis, are hallmark early signs of MS. ALS typically does not involve vision, making this symptom specific to MS.

• Energy level: Fatigue lasting more than 4 months aligns with MS, which frequently causes persistent fatigue due to both neurological dysfunction and immune-mediated inflammation. ALS may lead to fatigue later in disease progression, but early chronic fatigue is more characteristic of MS.