Signs and symptoms
Signs and symptoms ( 5 Questions)
A client with gestational hypertension reports abdominal pain and tenderness.
What should the nurse do first?
Administering acetaminophen may not relieve the pain and may mask other symptoms.
The nurse should do this first because gestational hypertension is a condition that causes high blood pressure after 20 weeks of pregnancy and can lead to complications such as placental abruption or preeclampsia.
Abdominal pain and tenderness can be signs of these complications, so the nurse should check the blood pressure to determine the severity of the situation and plan further interventions.
Visual disturbances are not the most urgent symptom to assess in this case.
Assessing for proteinuria is not the first priority, although it is important to diagnose preeclampsia.
The correct answer is choice B. Assess blood pressure. The nurse should do this first because gestational hypertension is a condition that causes high blood pressure after 20 weeks of pregnancy and can lead to complications such as placental abruption or preeclampsia.
Abdominal pain and tenderness can be signs of these complications, so the nurse should check the blood pressure to determine the severity of the situation and plan further interventions.
Choice A is wrong because administering acetaminophen may not relieve the pain and may mask other symptoms.
Choice C is wrong because visual disturbances are not the most urgent symptom to assess in this case.
Choice D is wrong because assessing for proteinuria is not the first priority, although it is important to diagnose preeclampsia.