Question

An 18-year-old patient comes to the clinic because her roommate was diagnosed with meningitis one day ago and she is concerned that she will become ill, too. What should the nurse practitioner do?

a. Explain that meningitis is not contagious so no treatment is needed.
b. Prescribe Rifampin BID for 2 days
c. Prescribe Penicillin BID for 5 days
d. Prescribe Doxycycline BID for 10 days

Answer 1

The nurse practitioner should prescribe Rifampin BID for 2 days.

Step-by-step explanation:

The appropriate action for the nurse practitioner to take in this scenario would be to prescribe Rifampin BID for 2 days. Meningitis caused by N. meningitidis is highly contagious and can be spread from person to person through close contact. In situations where there has been close contact with someone diagnosed with meningitis, prophylactic antibiotics are often prescribed to lower the risk of contracting the disease.