A nurse is teaching a client who has herpes zoster. Which of the following statements should the nurse make?

Rationale for Correct Choices:

• Pain medication: Pain control is a primary concern in fracture management, especially in pediatric clients. This child reports a pain score of 4/10, indicating discomfort. Administering pain medication will reduce suffering and help prevent complications such as anxiety or guarding, which may impair healing.
• Limb immobilization: Immobilization stabilizes the fracture site and prevents further injury to soft tissues or neurovascular structures. With a nondisplaced fracture of both radius and ulna, the nurse should expect a splint or cast order to limit movement and aid in bone alignment and healing.

Rationale for Incorrect Choices:

• Bed rest: Bed rest is not required for isolated upper limb fractures, particularly when the child is developmentally appropriate, alert, and ambulatory. Encouraging mobility is important to reduce the risk of complications like deconditioning or thromboembolism.
• Surgical consultation: A nondisplaced fracture typically does not require surgical intervention unless complications develop. Surgical consultation is more often necessary for open, displaced, or unstable fractures that require reduction or fixation.
• Antibiotics: There are no signs of systemic or localized infection. The child has a superficial knee abrasion but no open fracture or wound that would necessitate prophylactic antibiotics. Therefore, antibiotic use is not indicated in this situation.

Rationale:

A. Make an audio recording of the adolescent's responses: Audio recordings require consent and may not be legally or ethically appropriate in suspected abuse cases. Documentation should be written, factual, and follow institutional policies and mandatory reporting laws.

B. Promise not to disclose information shared during the interview: Nurses must never promise confidentiality in suspected abuse cases, as they are mandated reporters. All disclosures of abuse must be reported to child protective services or appropriate authorities.

C. Obtain a history from both the adolescent and their caregiver: Gathering information from both parties helps identify inconsistencies and assess the situation fully. However, this should be done separately to allow the adolescent to speak freely and without coercion.

D. Use leading questions during the interview: Leading questions can influence the adolescent’s responses and compromise the integrity of the assessment. Open-ended, nonjudgmental questions are essential to support accurate and unbiased information gathering.