A 68-year-old woman presents with malaise, severe unilateral…
A 68-year-old woman presents with malaise, severe unilateral headache, a decreased appetite, jaw pain and fatigue with chewing, and recent weight loss of approximately 10 pounds. The patient reports one transient episode of right eye visual loss lasting less than 5 minutes earlier that day. She currently has an oral temperature of 100.5°F, and there is tenderness on palpation of the right temporal area. The erythrocyte sedimentation rate is 104 mm/hr (normal ESR female: 0 to 20 mm/hr). Arrangements are made to obtain a temporal artery biopsy the following day. Which of the following interventions is the most appropriate next step in the management of this patient?