A nurse is teaching a parent of a toddler about administering digoxin. Which of the following statements by the parent indicates an understanding of the teaching?

A. Instruct the parent to ensure the pneumococcal vaccine is current.
This is a preventive measure to reduce the risk of infections in individuals with sickle cell disease.

B. Give oral hydroxyurea.
Hydroxyurea is used to decrease the frequency of pain episodes in sickle cell disease.

C. Monitor oxygen saturation continuously.
Continuous monitoring of oxygen saturation is important to detect any potential respiratory complications.

D. Place the client on strict bed rest.
Bed rest helps to reduce the metabolic demands on the body and promotes healing.

E. Restrict oral intake.
During a sickle cell crisis, it's generally not necessary to restrict oral intake unless there are specific indications to do so, such as severe abdominal pain or vomiting that prevents the child from tolerating oral feeds.

F. Apply cold compresses to the affected joints. Administer meperidine IV for pain.
Cold compresses may exacerbate vaso-occlusion, and meperidine is not the first-line choice for pain management in sickle cell crisis due to potential neurotoxicity.
G. Administer meperidine IV for pain.
Meperidine has a relatively short duration of action, which may necessitate frequent dosing. This can lead to more fluctuations in pain control.

H. Administer folic acid as prescribed.
Folic acid supplementation is often recommended for individuals with sickle cell disease to support red blood cell production.

A. Absent nuchal rigidity is a positive sign in the context of managing bacterial
meningitis, but it alone does not determine when droplet precautions can be discontinued.

B. This is the correct answer. A negative cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) culture indicates that the bacterial infection has been effectively treated. Once the CSF culture is negative, the child is no longer considered contagious and can be removed from droplet precautions.

C. The initiation of antibiotics is an important step in treating bacterial meningitis, but the passage of time alone does not indicate when precautions can be discontinued. The
effectiveness of treatment is better determined by laboratory and clinical indicators.

D. The temperature is an important clinical parameter, but a temperature below 37.4° C (99.3° F) alone does not determine when droplet precautions can be discontinued. The decision is based on the resolution of the infectious process, as indicated by negative cultures.