Final answer:
The nurse should visit the school-age child treated for status asthmaticus first due to the potential life-threatening nature of the condition, followed by the patient with RSV, gastric ulcerations, and varicella based on the each case's urgency and infectiousness.
Step-by-step explanation:
The home health nurse should prioritize clients based on the urgency and severity of their conditions. In this case, the school-age child treated in the emergency department (ED) for status asthmaticus the previous night should be visited first. Status asthmaticus is a severe and potentially life-threatening asthma condition that has not responded to standard treatments and can quickly escalate. After addressing this emergency, the nurse can then evaluate the necessity of visiting the other clients in terms of contagion risk, severity of symptoms, and the potential for rapid deterioration.
The client with a respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) should potentially be visited next due to the contagious nature of the illness, followed by the client with gastric ulcerations and the client with varicella, depending on the severity and stability of their conditions.