Nokea
The nurse has just started assessing a young child who is febrile and appears ill. There is hyperextension of the childs head (opisthotonos) with pain on flexion. Which is the most appropriate action?
- A. Ask the parent when the neck was injured.
- B. Refer for immediate medical evaluation.
- C. Continue assessment to determine the cause of the neck pain.
- D. Record head lag on the assessment record and continue the assessment of the child.
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Hyperextension of the childs head with pain on flexion is indicative of meningeal irritation and needs immediate evaluation. No indication of injury is present. This situation is not descriptive of head lag.
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What is an appropriate screening test for hearing that the nurse can administer to a 5-year-old child?
- A. Rinne test
- B. Weber test
- C. Pure tone audiometry
- D. Eliciting the startle reflex
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Pure tone audiometry uses an audiometer that produces sounds at different volumes and pitches in the childs ears. The child is asked to respond in some way when the tone is heard in the earphone. The Rinne and Weber tests measure bone conduction of sound. Eliciting the startle reflex may be useful in infants.
Which is the single most important factor to consider when communicating with children?
- A. Presence of the childs parent
- B. Childs physical condition
- C. Childs developmental level
- D. Childs nonverbal behaviors
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: The nurse must be aware of the childs developmental stage to engage in effective communication. The use of both verbal and nonverbal communication should be appropriate to the developmental level. Nonverbal behaviors vary in importance based on the childs developmental level and physical condition. Although the childs physical condition is a consideration, developmental level is much more important. The presence of parents is important when communicating with young children but may be detrimental when speaking with adolescents.
Which explains why correcting strabismus in young children is important?
- A. Color vision may be lost.
- B. Amblyopia, a type of blindness, may result.
- C. Epicanthal folds may develop in the affected eye.
- D. Corneal light reflexes may fall symmetrically within each pupil.
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: By the age of 3 to 4 months, infants are able to fixate on one visual field with both eyes simultaneously. In strabismus, or cross-eye, one eye deviates from the point of fixation. If misalignment is constant, the weak eye becomes lazy, and the brain eventually suppresses the image produced from that eye. If strabismus is not detected and corrected by age 4 to 6 years, blindness from disuse, known as amblyopia, may occur. Color vision is not the only concern. Epicanthal folds are not related to amblyopia. In children with strabismus, the corneal light reflex will not be symmetric for each eye.
Which parameter correlates best with measurements of total muscle mass?
- A. Height
- B. Weight
- C. Skinfold thickness
- D. Upper arm circumference
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: Upper arm circumference is correlated with measurements of total muscle mass. Muscle serves as the bodys major protein reserve and is considered an index of the bodys protein stores. Height is reflective of past nutritional status. Weight is indicative of current nutritional status. Skinfold thickness is a measurement of the bodys fat content.
The nurse is taking a sexual history on an adolescent girl. Which is the best way to determine whether she is sexually active?
- A. Ask her, Are you sexually active?
- B. Ask her, Are you having sex with anyone?
- C. Ask her, Are you having sex with a boyfriend?
- D. Ask both the girl and her parent if she is sexually active.
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Asking the adolescent girl if she is having sex with anyone is a direct question that is well understood. The phrase sexually active is broadly defined and may not provide specific information for the nurse to provide necessary care. The word anyone is preferred to using gender-specific terms such as boyfriend or girlfriend. Using gender-neutral terms is inclusive and conveys acceptance to the adolescent. Questioning about sexual activity should occur when the adolescent is alone.