A nurse is planning care for a child who has severe diarrhea.
Which of the following actions is the nurse’s priority?
Introduce a regular diet
Maintain fluid therapy
Rehydrate
Assess fluid balance
The Correct Answer is D
The correct answer is choice D.
Choice A rationale:
Introducing a regular diet is not the immediate priority for a child with severe diarrhea. The focus should be on stabilizing the child’s condition before reintroducing regular foods.
Choice B rationale:
Maintaining fluid therapy is important, but it is part of the broader goal of managing fluid balance. It is not the first step in addressing severe diarrhea.
Choice C rationale:
Rehydration is crucial, but it falls under the broader category of assessing and managing fluid balance. Ensuring the child is properly hydrated is part of the overall assessment.
Choice D rationale:
Assessing fluid balance is the priority action. This involves evaluating the child’s hydration status, monitoring for signs of dehydration, and ensuring that fluid therapy is appropriately managed. This step is critical to prevent complications from severe diarrhea.
Nursing Test Bank
Naxlex Comprehensive Predictor Exams
Related Questions
Correct Answer is B
Explanation
Choice A rationale
Skin pallor and cool-to-touch skin are common signs of severe dehydration. When the body is severely dehydrated, blood flow to the skin decreases, causing the skin to feel cool and look pale.
Choice B rationale
Pitting edema is not a clinical finding of severe dehydration. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. Pitting edema is a condition that causes swelling due to fluid accumulation, often due to conditions like heart failure, liver disease, or kidney disease.
Choice C rationale
Tachycardia with a thready pulse is a common sign of severe dehydration. The heart rate increases in an attempt to maintain blood flow to the organs, and the pulse may feel weak or thready due to low blood volume.
Choice D rationale
Lung sounds diminished with crackles upon auscultation is not typically associated with dehydration. This is more commonly seen in conditions affecting the lungs such as pneumonia or heart failure.
Correct Answer is D
Explanation
Choice A rationale
While electrolyte balance is important in patient care, it is not the primary reason for measuring gastric residual before administering a feeding through an NG tube.
Choice B rationale
Confirming the placement of the NG tube is crucial before administering a feeding. However, measuring the gastric residual is not the primary method used to confirm tube placement.
Choice C rationale
Removing gastric acid that might cause dyspepsia is not the main purpose of measuring gastric residual. Dyspepsia, or indigestion, is typically managed with medications and dietary modifications.
Choice D rationale
The primary purpose of measuring gastric residual is to identify delayed gastric emptying. Gastric residual refers to the volume of formula or contents remaining in the stomach from the previous feeding. If gastric emptying is delayed, the nurse should avoid overfeeding the patient and causing gastric distention.
Whether you are a student looking to ace your exams or a practicing nurse seeking to enhance your expertise , our nursing education contents will empower you with the confidence and competence to make a difference in the lives of patients and become a respected leader in the healthcare field.
Visit Naxlex, invest in your future and unlock endless possibilities with our unparalleled nursing education contents today
Report Wrong Answer on the Current Question
Do you disagree with the answer? If yes, what is your expected answer? Explain.
Kindly be descriptive with the issue you are facing.