A 4-month-old with meningococcal meningitis has just been admitted to the pediatric unit. Which nursing intervention has the highest priority?
A. Obtaining history information from the parents
B. Administering acetaminophen (Tylenol)
C. Instituting droplet precautions
D. Orienting the parents to the pediatric unit
Correct Answer: C. Instituting droplet precautions
Instituting droplet precautions by providing a private room and wearing a mask, gloves, and gown for all those who will interact with the child is a priority for a newly admitted patient with meningococcal meningitis until an appropriate antibiotic regimen has been given for 24 hours. Based on experience with military recruits, the nasopharyngeal carrier state is the primary factor for the transmission and development of meningitis.
Option A: Obtaining history information doesn’t take priority. The patient with suspected or confirmed N. meningitidis should follow droplet precaution. This should be continued until after 24 hours of effective antibiotics administration.
Option B: Acetaminophen may be prescribed but administering it doesn’t take priority over instituting droplet precautions. Antibiotic dose should be given as soon as meningitis is suspected and should not be delayed awaiting confirmatory studies. Lumbar puncture is performed as soon as possible as parenteral antibiotic therapy clears out meningococci from CSF in less than six hours.
Option D: Orienting the parents to the unit doesn’t take priority. Meningococcal meningitis is a medical emergency presenting with severe sepsis syndrome, fever, petechiae, and ecchymosis requiring prompt resuscitation and antibiotic administration.