Question

Chapter 37: Nursing Care of the Child With an Infectious or Communicable Disorder

1. Mrs. Acton, the mother of 6-year-old Christina, calls the physician’s office to speak to the nurse. Mrs. Acton is concerned because Christina went to a birthday party 8 days ago and was exposed to the chickenpox. (Learning Objectives 4 and 5)

a. What information would be appropriate to give to Mrs. Acton?

b. What data would be important for the nurse to gather when speaking with Mrs.

Acton?

Answer 1

a. The nurse should give the following informations

• Apply calamine lotion on the spots.it helps the blisters dry out and gets relief in itching.
• Isolate the child from other family members but mother should be with the baby.
• Instruct the mother and family members to get the chickenpox vaccine.
• Give acetaminophen if the baby is having fever
• Strictly instruct the mother to avoid medications containing aspirin.because it will cause Reye's syndrome.
• Diet should be soft and bland diet.
• Put gloves on baby's hands especially at night if the baby is having severe itching. Because scratching can cause scarring and slow healing.

b. The nurse should enquire about symptoms and duration especially thr first symptom appeared. Ask about recent exposure to possible sources of infection. Gather the data about other health problems and any medications the baby is taking. Also enquire about does the baby and family members vaccinated or not.