A nurse is caring for a 10-year-old client in a pediatric clinic.

Exhibits

For each potential provider's prescription, click to specify if the assessment findings are consistent with Eczema or Cellulitis. Each finding may support more than 1 disease process.

A. Provide frequent and routine verbal updates with the parents. Regular updates help reduce parental anxiety and build trust between the healthcare team and the family. Keeping parents informed reassures them that their child is receiving appropriate care.

B. Encourage the parents to participate in the toddler's plan of care when appropriate. Involving parents in simple caregiving tasks (e.g., soothing the child, assisting with feedings) fosters a sense of control and connection, easing their distress.

C. Perform more frequent health care rounds on the toddler. Increased monitoring ensures early detection of respiratory complications and reassures parents that their child's condition is being closely managed.

D. Conduct interprofessional rounds at the child's bedside so the parents can be included. Including parents in bedside rounds allows them to hear updates from multiple specialists, ask questions, and feel more engaged in decision-making regarding their child's care.

E. Reinforce education to the parents on all nursing interventions to alleviate added anxiety about tasks they are unfamiliar with. While educating parents is important, overwhelming them with detailed explanations of every intervention may actually increase anxiety rather than alleviate it. Teaching should be concise and tailored to what the parents need to know at the moment.

F. Provide the parents with the nurse's personal cell phone number to contact if they have questions while they are away from the hospital. Personal phone numbers should not be given out for professional and ethical reasons. Instead, parents should be provided with the hospital unit’s contact information for any concerns.

A. "As a nurse, I can't diagnose what is causing you to have worsening symptoms. However, we will relay this information to your healthcare provider so they can determine what should happen next." While it is true that nurses cannot diagnose, this response does not address the adolescent’s concerns or encourage them to share more information about their symptoms.

B. "If you are experiencing worsening respiratory distress, we must get you to the emergency department immediately." This response may create unnecessary alarm without first assessing the severity of the symptoms. While severe distress requires urgent care, the nurse should first gather more information.

C. "It sounds like you may be concerned that your condition could be getting worse. That can be scary—tell me more about what you have been experiencing." This is correct because it acknowledges the adolescent's emotions, encourages open communication, and allows the nurse to gather more information before determining the appropriate course of action.

D. "As you know, cystic fibrosis is a respiratory disease. Increased respiratory distress is a characteristic symptom of this disorder." While this statement is factually correct, it dismisses the adolescent’s concern instead of providing reassurance, emotional support, and further assessment.