Latasha, age 8 years, is being admitted to the hospital from the ...

[PhilipSeeMore]

Latasha, age 8 years, is being admitted to the hospital from the emergency department with an injury from falling off her bicycle. What will help her most in her adjustment to the hospital?
 
  a. Explain hospital schedules such as mealtimes.
  b. Use terms such as honey and dear to show a caring attitude.
  c. Explain when parents can visit and why siblings cannot come to see her.
  d. Orient her parents, because she is young, to her room and hospital facility.

Question 2

An appropriate nursing intervention to minimize separation anxiety in a hospitalized toddler is to:
 
  a. Provide for privacy.
  b. Encourage parents to room in.
  c. Explain procedures and routines.
  d. Encourage contact with children the same age.

[smrerig]

Answer to Question 1

ANS: A
School-age children need to have control of their environment. The nurse should offer explanations or prepare the child for experiences that are unavoidable. The nurse should refer to the child by the preferred name. Telling the child about all of the limitations of visiting does not help her adjust to the hospital. At the age of 8 years, the child and parents should be oriented to the environment.

Answer to Question 2

ANS: B
A toddler experiences separation anxiety secondary to being separated from the parents. To avoid this, the parents should be encouraged to room in as much as possible. Maintaining routines and ensuring privacy are helpful interventions, but they would not substitute for the parents. Contact with same-aged children would not substitute for having the parents present.