The nurse finds that an infant has stronger pulses in the upper extremities than in the lower extremities. Which assessment will the nurse perform next on this infant?

Choice A reason: Keeping alarm levels low is important to reduce stress and promote a healing environment, but it is not the most impactful intervention for personalized care.

Choice B reason: Dimming the lights at night helps maintain a normal sleep-wake cycle, which is beneficial but not as specific to the client's individual needs as continuity of care.

Choice C reason: Having the same nurses care for the patient on consecutive days can provide consistency and build trust, which is especially important for a child in critical condition.

Choice D reason: While visits from school friends can be uplifting, they may not be feasible or appropriate for a client in critical condition in the PICU. The priority is ensuring stable and consistent care.

Choice A reason: School-age children, typically around the ages of 6 to 12, begin to grasp the finality and irreversibility of death. They understand that death is universal and affects all living things.

Choice B reason: Preschool-age children may have some concept of death, but they often view it as reversible or temporary, not fully understanding its permanence.

Choice C reason: Toddlers are too young to comprehend the concept of death, as their cognitive development at this stage does not allow for such abstract thinking.

Choice D reason: While adolescents certainly understand the permanence of death, this awareness develops earlier, during the school-age years. Adolescents may begin to explore more complex philosophical and existential questions about life and death.