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The nurse is taking a health history of an adolescent. Which best describes how the chief complaint should be determined?
- A. Request a detailed listing of symptoms.
- B. Ask the adolescent, Why did you come here today?
- C. Interview the parent away from the adolescent to determine the chief complaint.
- D. Use what the adolescent says to determine, in correct medical terminology, what the problem is.
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The chief complaint is the specific reason for the childs visit to the clinic, office, or hospital. Because the adolescent is the focus of the history, this is an appropriate way to determine the chief complaint. Requesting a detailed list of symptoms makes it difficult to determine the chief complaint. The parent and adolescent may be interviewed separately, but the nurse should determine the reason the adolescent is seeking attention at this time. The chief complaint is usually written in the words that the parent or adolescent uses to describe the reason for seeking help.
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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.
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.
The nurse is having difficulty communicating with a hospitalized 6-year-old child. Which technique should be most helpful?
- A. Recommend that the child keep a diary.
- B. Provide supplies for the child to draw a picture.
- C. Suggest that the parent read fairy tales to the child.
- D. Ask the parent if the child is always uncommunicative.
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Drawing is one of the most valuable forms of communication. Childrens drawings tell a great deal about them because they are projections of the childrens inner self. A diary should be difficult for a 6-year-old child, who is most likely learning to read. The parent reading fairy tales to the child is a passive activity involving the parent and child; it should not facilitate communication with the nurse. The child is in a stressful situation and is probably uncomfortable with strangers, not always uncommunicative.
During an otoscopic examination on an infant, in which direction is the pinna pulled?
- A. Up and back
- B. Up and forward
- C. Down and back
- D. Down and forward
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: In infants and toddlers, the ear canal is curved upward. To visualize the ear canal, it is necessary to pull the pinna down and back to the 6 to 9 oclock range to straighten the canal. In children older than age 3 years and adults, the canal curves downward and forward. The pinna is pulled up and back to the 10 oclock position. Up and forward and down and forward are positions that do not facilitate visualization of the ear canal.
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.