Difficulty: Medium
Average Score: 63%
Full-length
The nurse is caring for four antepartum clients. Which client should the nurse see first?
Correct answer
C
Rationale
A suspected ectopic pregnancy is a medical emergency due to the risk of rupture and internal bleeding, which can be life-threatening. Abdominal and shoulder pain are hallmark symptoms, indicating possible referred pain from diaphragmatic irritation. This client requires immediate assessment and intervention, prioritizing over hyperemesis gravidarum (which, while serious, is less immediately life-threatening), molar pregnancy (which needs monitoring but is not an acute emergency), and threatened miscarriage (which requires evaluation but is less urgent without active bleeding or pain).