What is the priority nursing intervention for a 12-year-old client newly diagnosed with bacterial meningitis?

• A. Administer broad-spectrum antibiotics before results of culture and sensitivity tests are returned.
• B. Maintain seizure precautions to protect the client from injury.
• C. Monitor for increased intracranial pressure and do frequent neural vital sign checks.
• D. Continue pain management and provide comfort measures.

Answer: (A)

Bacterial meningitis is a medical emergency, so stopping the infection as quickly as possible is the top priority. Administering broad-spectrum antibiotics promptly targets the range of bacteria most likely to cause disease in a school-age child and helps prevent rapid deterioration, neurological damage, and death. Cultures should be drawn before antibiotics when feasible, but treatment should not wait for results. The idea is to start effective therapy now and then tailor it once culture data return.

Seizure precautions, close monitoring for signs of increased intracranial pressure, and pain relief are important ongoing aspects of care, but they don’t carry the same urgency as delivering empiric antibiotics that can halt the progression of the infection.