Which of the following strategies might the nurse use when administering oral medications to a young child?
Offer the child fruit juice after the medication is swallowed.
Tell the child that the medication is candy.
Give the medication quickly if the child is crying
Mix the medication with chocolate milk.
The Correct Answer is A
Safe pediatric oral medication administration relies on trust-building, accurate dosing, prevention of aspiration, and avoidance of taste aversion or medication refusal behaviors, especially in young children with limited cognitive understanding and strong sensory taste responses.
Rationale:
A. Offering fruit juice after swallowing helps remove unpleasant taste and promotes positive reinforcement without altering medication integrity. It supports cooperation, reduces oral aversion, and maintains medication adherence in young children during repeated dosing schedules.
B. Calling medication candy is unsafe because it creates risk of accidental poisoning and mistrust once the child realizes the truth. It violates safety education principles and may lead to future refusal and increased anxiety during medication administration.
C. Giving medication quickly during crying increases risk of aspiration and improper swallowing. It may also reinforce negative associations with medication, worsening future cooperation and increasing psychological distress during administration procedures.
D. Mixing medication with chocolate milk can alter drug absorption and dosing accuracy. Some medications bind with dairy products, reducing effectiveness, and unpredictable ingestion amounts may occur, leading to subtherapeutic or inconsistent therapeutic levels in pediatric patients.
Nursing Test Bank
Naxlex Comprehensive Predictor Exams
Related Questions
Correct Answer is B
Explanation
Pain assessment in neonates relies on behavioral and physiological indicators due to inability to self-report. These include facial expression changes, crying patterns, oxygen saturation fluctuations, and motor responses during painful stimuli or invasive procedures.
Rationale:
A. Qualitative pain scale is inappropriate for neonates because it depends on subjective description of pain experience. A 3 week old infant cannot verbalize discomfort. This method lacks objective behavioral indicators, making it unreliable for clinical assessment in non-verbal populations.
B. NIPS (Neonatal Infant Pain Scale) is appropriate for infant pain assessment in neonates. It evaluates facial expression, cry, breathing patterns, arm and leg movements, and arousal state. It is validated for postoperative monitoring in infants unable to self-report pain.
C. Wong Baker Faces Scale requires cognitive ability to associate facial expressions with pain intensity. A 3 week old infant lacks cognitive development for interpretation. It is designed for older children typically above 3 years, making it invalid for neonatal assessment.
D. Numeric pain scale depends on self-reporting of pain intensity from 0 to 10. A 3 week old infant cannot perform self reporting due to developmental immaturity. This makes it unsuitable and unreliable for assessing pain in neonatal or infant populations.
Correct Answer is B
Explanation
Peripheral intravenous therapy in pediatric patients requires frequent monitoring due to higher risk of infiltration, phlebitis, infection, and fluid overload. Children have smaller and more fragile veins, making IV sites more prone to rapid deterioration and complications. Continuous infusions demand close surveillance to ensure patency and prevent tissue injury or systemic complications.
Rationale:
A. This interval is too prolonged for pediatric IV monitoring. Delayed assessment increases risk of unrecognized infiltration or extravasation, which can rapidly cause tissue damage in children due to small vessel size and limited subcutaneous space.
B. Pediatric continuous IV infusions require hourly site assessment to detect early signs of infiltration, phlebitis, or dislodgement. Frequent monitoring ensures immediate intervention, minimizing complications and maintaining safe vascular access.
C. This frequency is appropriate for stable adult IV sites but unsafe in pediatrics. Extended intervals increase risk of missed complications, especially with continuous infusions where tissue damage can progress quickly in children.
D. Although closer to acceptable practice, this interval is still insufficient for high-risk pediatric infusions. Early detection of complications is critical, and standard pediatric protocols favor more frequent hourly assessments.
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