A nurse is planning care for a newly admitted adolescent client who has bacterial meningitis. Which of the following instructions is appropriate for the nurse to include in the plan of care?

A. Case manager: A case manager coordinates care for clients with chronic conditions or complex health needs. For a newborn with an atrial septal defect, the case manager can arrange follow-up appointments, provide education to the family about monitoring for symptoms, and ensure access to cardiology services. This referral supports continuity of care and helps prevent complications.

B. Physical therapist: Physical therapy focuses on improving mobility, strength, and motor function. While important for certain conditions, a newborn with an atrial septal defect typically does not require routine physical therapy unless there are additional developmental or musculoskeletal concerns. It is not the primary referral for cardiac follow-up.

C. Occupational therapist: Occupational therapy helps clients develop fine motor skills and perform daily activities. For a newborn with a heart defect, OT is usually not indicated unless developmental delays or feeding difficulties are present. Cardiac management and follow-up are more urgent concerns at discharge.

D. Nurse manager: The nurse manager oversees nursing staff and unit operations rather than providing direct patient follow-up or discharge planning. Referral to the nurse manager does not address the newborn’s ongoing care needs after discharge and is not part of standard interprofessional follow-up for an atrial septal defect.

A. Herpes simplex virus 2: HSV-2 is a common sexually transmitted infection, but it is not universally reportable to the CDC in all states. While some jurisdictions may require reporting, it is not consistently a nationally notifiable infection.

B. Candida albicans: Candida infections are common opportunistic infections and are not considered reportable to the CDC because they occur frequently and do not typically pose a public health threat. Routine cases are managed at the clinical level.

C. Staphylococcus aureus: Although S. aureus infections, including MRSA, are clinically significant, they are generally not reportable to the CDC unless part of a specific outbreak or public health investigation. Routine cases are not mandatory to report.

D. Lyme disease: Lyme disease is a nationally notifiable infection that must be reported to the CDC. Reporting is essential for surveillance, tracking trends, and implementing public health interventions to reduce disease transmission and prevent outbreaks.