Author Question: The nurse is preparing to give a 7-year-old child a bitter-tasting oral medication. The child asks ... (Read 127 times)

fbq8i · **on:** Jul 23, 2018

The nurse is preparing to give a 7-year-old child a bitter-tasting oral medication. The child asks the nurse if the medicine tastes bad. To help the child take this medication, which action will the nurse take?

a. Allow the child to delay taking the medication until the parent arrives.
b. Enlist the assistance of other staff to help restrain the child.
c. Tell the child that it doesn't taste bad if it is swallowed quickly.
d. Tell the child that it tastes bad and offer a choice of beverages to drink afterwards.

Question 2

The nurse is caring for a 5-year-old child. The child is taking a drug that has a known therapeutic range in adults, and the nurse checks that the ordered dose is correct and notes that the child's serum drug level is within normal limits.

The child complains of a headache, which is a common sign of toxicity for this drug. Which action will the nurse take?
a. Administer the drug since the drug levels are normal.
b. Attribute the headache to non-drug causes.
c. Hold the next dose and contact the provider.
d. Request an order for an analgesic medication.

samiel-sayed · **Reply #1 on:** Jul 23, 2018

Answer to Question 1

ANS: D
School-age children should be permitted more control, involvement in the process, and honest information. The nurse should tell the child the truth and offer the child a choice about what to drink to wash down the medicine. Medications must be given on schedule, so allowing the child a choice about when to take a medication is not acceptable. Restraining a child should not be used unless other methods have failed. Telling the child the medication doesn't taste bad is not honest and will reduce the child's trust in the nurse.

Answer to Question 2

ANS: C
The therapeutic ranges established for many drug levels are based on adult studies, so it is important for the nurse to assess pediatric patients in conjunction with monitoring drug levels. The nurse should notify the provider of the reaction. Because headaches are a symptom of toxicity for this drug, the nurse should not ignore the symptom.