A nurse is reinforcing discharge teaching about preventing infections with the parent of a child who is receiving chemotherapy and has a platelet count of 100,000/mm3. Which of the following statements by the parent indicates an understanding of the teaching?

Rationale:

A. Skin turgor assessment is important in assessing dehydration, but the priority is addressing the tachycardia first.

B. Potassium level is important in managing electrolyte imbalance in gastroenteritis, but the priority is addressing the elevated heart rate first.

C. Capillary refill is an important assessment for circulation, but the priority is addressing the elevated heart rate first.

D. The elevated heart rate (tachycardia) indicates increased workload on the heart, likely due to dehydration or other complications of gastroenteritis. This requires immediate attention to stabilize the infant's condition.

Rationale for A: If the child can describe what frightened them, this would be more consistent with nightmares. Nightmares often involve the ability to recall details of the bad dream, whereas sleep terrors are typically associated with no memory of the event.

Rationale for B: Children with sleep terrors generally do not fully awaken and can usually go back to sleep immediately. This is a key distinction between sleep terrors and nightmares, where the child remains distressed for some time and may be hesitant to fall back asleep.

Rationale for C: Becoming fully awake and in a panic is more characteristic of nightmares, where the child may wake up terrified and struggle to calm down, unlike sleep terrors where they do not fully awaken.

Rationale for D: A child with nightmares is often easily comforted by the presence of a parent. In contrast, children with sleep terrors are difficult to comfort because they are not fully awake and may not respond to soothing efforts.