In caring for a 4-year-old child with a diagnosis of suspected ...

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In caring for a 4-year-old child with a diagnosis of suspected child abuse, which is the best nursing intervention?
 
  a. Avoid touching the child.
  b. Provide the child with play situations that allow for disclosure.
  c. Discourage the child from remembering the incident.
  d. Deny the suspected perpetrator visiting rights to the child.

Question 2

Which is the most appropriate action for the nurse to take when telling a preschool child about an upcoming procedure?
 
  a. Explain all the information in detail to the child.
  b. Speak loudly and clearly to the child.
  c. Inform the parents of the procedure and ask them to tell the child.
  d. Use symbolic play to explain the procedure.

[Carissamariew]

Answer to Question 1

B
Play allows the child to disclose what happened to him or her without having to talk about the incident. Symbolic play is important for emotional development and it allows the child to work through distressing feelings. All children need to be touched. What is important is to tell the child in simple, clear terms what you are doing and why you are doing it. Nurses have the opportunity to teach children the normal, healthy boundaries of their bodies and what constitutes inappropriate behavior. If the child chooses to remember what happened, it is inappropriate to discourage it. It is important to listen to the child in a nonjudgmental way, allowing the child to discuss what happened, to make statements, or to ask questions. It is not the nurse's role or responsibility to restrict visitors unless child safety is an issue. The child may be negatively affected if a caregiver, who may be the abuser, does not visit.

Answer to Question 2

D
Symbolic play is important for emotional development because it allows the child to work through distressing feelings and can be therapeutic. It is inappropriate to give a preschooler all the information in detail. The child needs to understand what is going to happen to him without explicit details of the procedure. Speaking in clear sentences with simple words is important, but the conversation should be conducted at a nonthreatening normal sound level. The nurse has the most knowledge and best ability for explaining the procedure to the child; however, the parents can be an important resource when explaining the procedure.

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Gracias!

[rachel]

Thanks for the timely response, appreciate it