A client, age 22, is admitted with bacterial meningitis. Which hospital room would be the best choice for this client?
a. A private room down the hall from the nurses’ station
b. An isolation room three doors from the nurses’ station
c. A semiprivate room with a 32-year-old client who has viral meningitis
d. A two-bed room with a client who previously had bacterial meningitis
Answer B.
A client with bacterial meningitis should be kept in isolation for at least 24 hours after admission and, during the initial acute phase, should be as close to the nurses’ station as possible to allow maximal observation. Placing the client in a room with a client who has viral meningitis may cause harm to both clients because the organisms causing viral and bacterial meningitis differ; either client may contract the other’s disease. Immunity to bacterial meningitis can’t be acquired; therefore, a client who previously had bacterial meningitis shouldn’t be put at risk by rooming with a client who has just been diagnosed with this disease.
a. A private room down the hall from the nurses’ station
b. An isolation room three doors from the nurses’ station
c. A semiprivate room with a 32-year-old client who has viral meningitis
d. A two-bed room with a client who previously had bacterial meningitis
Answer B.
A client with bacterial meningitis should be kept in isolation for at least 24 hours after admission and, during the initial acute phase, should be as close to the nurses’ station as possible to allow maximal observation. Placing the client in a room with a client who has viral meningitis may cause harm to both clients because the organisms causing viral and bacterial meningitis differ; either client may contract the other’s disease. Immunity to bacterial meningitis can’t be acquired; therefore, a client who previously had bacterial meningitis shouldn’t be put at risk by rooming with a client who has just been diagnosed with this disease.