A client is prescribed antibiotics while pending the results of their wound culture. The nurse understands this method of medication therapy is known as:

A. Prophylactic therapy is used to prevent infection in at-risk individuals, not to treat suspected infections before confirming lab results. B. Palliative therapy is intended for symptom relief, often in cases where curing the disease is not the goal. C. Maintenance therapy is designed to maintain health stability rather than to treat suspected infections without lab confirmation. D. Empiric therapy involves starting treatment based on clinical judgment before lab results are available. This approach is useful to manage infections promptly when waiting for cultures could delay necessary care.