Inpatient Obstetric Nurse Practice Exam 2025 – Complete Prep Guide

In the context of monitoring fetal well-being, acoustic stimulation is often employed to assess fetal responsiveness. If a fetus does not respond to the initial acoustic stimulus, it is recommended to repeat the stimulus every minute up to three times. This allows enough time for the fetus to react while avoiding overstimulation, which can lead to inaccurate assessments or stress for both the fetus and the mother.

Repeating the stimulus within a minute is considered an appropriate interval. It balances the need for timely evaluation of fetal reactivity with the idea of giving the fetus adequate time to respond to the sound. If a response is not observed after three consecutive attempts within a minute, further assessment may be warranted, and healthcare providers can explore other evaluative measures or interventions.

The other suggested frequencies do not align with established protocols for safely assessing fetal responsiveness in this specific context, making the chosen interval of every minute significantly more suitable for clinical practice.