The best time to teach non-pharmacologic pain control methods to an unprepared laboring woman is during which phase?

Choice A rationale

Thoroughly cooking meat to an internal temperature of 160°F (71°C) kills the Toxoplasma gondii parasite, thus preventing transmission through ingestion of contaminated meat. This is a crucial preventive measure recommended for pregnant women.

Choice B rationale

Drinking unpasteurized milk poses a risk of toxoplasmosis, as well as other foodborne illnesses like listeriosis and brucellosis. Pasteurization is a process that heats milk to a specific temperature for a set time, killing harmful bacteria and parasites, including Toxoplasma gondii. Therefore, this statement indicates a need for further instruction, as pregnant women should consume only pasteurized dairy products.

Choice C rationale

Cat feces can contain oocysts of Toxoplasma gondii, which can become infectious after a period of sporulation. Avoiding contact with materials possibly contaminated with cat feces, such as litter boxes and garden soil, is an important measure to prevent toxoplasmosis.

Choice D rationale

Handling raw meat can expose a person to Toxoplasma gondii cysts. Avoiding touching mucous membranes of the mouth or eyes after handling raw meat and washing hands thoroughly reduces the risk of self-inoculation with the parasite.

Choice A rationale

A pounding headache, visual changes, and epigastric pain in a patient with pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH), now known as gestational hypertension or preeclampsia, are serious signs indicating worsening disease severity. These symptoms suggest central nervous system irritability (headache, visual changes) and potential liver involvement or severe preeclampsia (epigastric pain), increasing the risk of eclampsia, which is characterized by seizures.

Choice B rationale

Magnesium sulfate is a medication commonly used to prevent seizures in patients with severe preeclampsia. While it can cause side effects such as flushing, warmth, and muscle weakness, it does not typically cause a pounding headache, visual changes, or epigastric pain. These symptoms are indicative of the underlying disease process, not the medication.

Choice C rationale

While hospitalization can induce anxiety in some patients, the specific combination of a pounding headache, visual changes, and epigastric pain in the context of pregnancy-induced hypertension strongly suggests a physiological basis related to the worsening of the hypertensive disorder, rather than solely psychological distress.

Choice D rationale

While epigastric pain can be associated with gastrointestinal issues, in a patient with pregnancy-induced hypertension experiencing a pounding headache and visual changes concurrently, it is more likely related to hepatic involvement or severe preeclampsia. A focused assessment of the gastrointestinal system alone would not adequately address the potential severity of the situation.