An 8-year old child, who has a history of asthma is seen in the office of the school nurse with coughing and wheezing. Which of the following actions should the nurse perform first?

A. Educate the child to avoid triggers.

While avoiding triggers is important for long-term asthma management, it may not address the immediate symptoms of coughing and wheezing.

B. Administer albuterol

Administering albuterol is a common and effective rescue treatment for asthma symptoms like coughing and wheezing. This can provide quick relief.

C. Transport the child to the emergency department.

This is a drastic step and may not be necessary unless the child's symptoms are severe and not responding to initial interventions.

D. Assess the child's peak expiratory flow and compare it to the Asthma Action plan.

Assessing peak expiratory flow and comparing it to the Asthma Action plan is a good practice. However, it might take time, and immediate relief is also crucial.

A. FACES
The FACES scale, often depicted with a series of faces displaying different expressions, is commonly used for children who can understand and respond to a scale of faces indicating different levels of pain. It is suitable for older children who can articulate their feelings.

B. FLACC
The FLACC (Face, Legs, Activity, Cry, Consolability) scale is commonly used to assess pain in preverbal and non-verbal children, such as a 4-year-old. It evaluates the child's facial expression, leg movement, activity level, cry, and ease of consolability to determine the level of pain.
C. APPT
There is no widely recognized pain assessment tool referred to as "APPT." It may be a term specific to a certain context or institution.

D. Numeric
Numeric pain scales involve asking individuals to rate their pain on a numerical scale, usually ranging from 0 to 10. These scales are often used with older children and adults who can understand and communicate numerical values to describe their pain intensity.