A nurse is preparing to administer required immunizations to a toddler during a well-child visit. The parent asks the nurse how many baby aspirins he should administer if the toddler develops a fever.

Which of the following responses should the nurse make?

Explanation:

The nurse should respond by recommending that the parent avoids administering aspirin to the child. The use of aspirin in children, especially those under the age of 18, is associated with the risk of developing Reye's syndrome, a rare but serious condition that affects the liver and brain. It is important to educate parents about the potential risks of using aspirin in children, particularly when they have a fever. Instead, the nurse should advise the parent to use appropriate dosages of acetaminophen or ibuprofen based on the child's weight and follow the label directions for administration.

Option a suggests following the label directions based on the child's weight, which may not specifically address the use of aspirin in children and the risk of Reye's syndrome. Option c, stating that the child will require an antibiotic if she develops a fever, is incorrect because antibiotics are not indicated for all fevers and should only be prescribed if there is an underlying bacterial infection. Option d, suggesting that the child can have two baby aspirins every 4 hours, is incorrect and contradicts the recommendation to avoid administering aspirin to the child.

The client has state-sponsored health insurance: While information about the client's health insurance coverage is important for billing and financial purposes, it may not be directly relevant to the discussion in an interprofessional team meeting unless it specifically impacts the client's access to healthcare resources or affects decision-making regarding their care plan.

The reason for including this information is that difficulty ambulating can impact the client's overall mobility and functional status. It can have implications for their ability to perform activities of daily living, increase the risk of falls, and require additional interventions or resources. By sharing this information with the interprofessional team, appropriate strategies and interventions can be discussed and implemented to address the client's mobility issues.

The client's next dressing change is scheduled in 4 hours: The timing of the client's dressing change may be important for nursing documentation and scheduling purposes. However, it may not be a significant focus of discussion in an interprofessional team meeting unless there are specific concerns or issues related to the dressing change that require collaboration and coordination among the healthcare team.

The client's vital signs are checked every 8 hours: The frequency of vital sign checks is an important aspect of nursing care and monitoring. However, unless there are specific concerns or deviations from normal vital signs that need to be discussed, it may not be the primary information to include in an interprofessional team meeting. The focus of the meeting is typically on broader aspects of the client's condition, care plan, and multidisciplinary interventions.