Review Question - QID 210731

A 27-year-old man presents to his primary care physician because he has been experiencing increased fatigue and shortness of breath over the last two weeks. He says that he has a lot of stressors in his life currently because he just finished graduate school and moved to another city. The move was particularly arduous because he had an infection and also because the house was old and had a very narrow staircase. Due to this stress he has not been eating or sleeping well. On presentation his temperature is 98.6°F (37°C), blood pressure is 115/72 mmHg, pulse is 112/min, and respirations are 18/min. Physical exam reveals conjunctival pallor. A blood smear is obtained that is shown in Figure A and lab tests reveals the following:

Hemoglobin: 11.2 g/dL
Mean corpuscular volume: 92 um^3

Which of the following interventions would be appropriate for the most likely cause of this patient's symptoms?