A patient returns for a follow-up visit after reporting a positive home pregnancy test. What is the BEST next step to confirm the patient's pregnancy status in the clinical setting?
Schedule a quantitative blood test for HCG levels
Advise the patient to repeat the home pregnancy test
An in-office (point-of-care) urine pregnancy test detects human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) just as a home test does, but it allows the health-care team to verify the result under controlled conditions and document it in the medical record immediately. The test is quick, inexpensive, non-invasive, and sufficiently reliable for routine confirmation. Quantitative serum HCG testing is reserved when earlier detection, dating, or evaluation of pregnancy complications is needed, and ultrasound is typically used later to assess viability and gestational age. Repeating a home test adds no clinical value once the patient is in the office.
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