Assessment
At what age does growth slow down considerably but would still try to reach developmental milestones such as more independence, learning to read and write, and probably would start puberty
Pre-school age
6-12 years old
In the PowerPoint presentation, what are the developmental milestones for a school-age child?
- Developing more independence
- learning to read and write
(varies greatly with age)
How can a child practice taking PO medication?
They can start with very small candies, such as Nerds, and as the child becomes better at it, they will move up to larger-sized candies like M&Ms or Skittles.
Kids should be seen by their pediatrician on a ______ basis for wellness checks and ensure development
(Weekly, Monthly, Yearly, Twice a year)
Yearly
True or false
A sign of absent pain in school-age children is lack of facial grimacing
False
Don’t go based off of the patient’s facial expression while you are in the room. They may be trying to put on a brave front to make you proud of them or think they are strong.
0
- Score by starting with the most severe parameters first
When a pediatric patient is showing signs of school avoidance, stomachaches, and emotional distress this could be a sign of?
- School bullying
- When giving frequent injections, ______ is a cream that is available with a physician's order to help numb the skin if the patient is apprehensive or fearful
- EMLA
A great nonpharmacologic intervention that can be utilized to decrease pain with injections or IV insertions is “_______”. It is a tool, often times decorated to look like a bee, that will vibrate
- Buzzy
True or false
When assessing a patient's BP always use their non-dominant hand/arm as much as possible for IVs. Also children in the school-age category may administer own injections in special cases
- True
What is the pain scale used in this group of patients? and what should you incorporate when assessing pain?
- Wong baker FACES
- Visual analog scale
- Number scale
- Don’t forget to incorporate the patient’s parents or caregivers in the assessment of pain. They may be able to pick up on subtle differences in the patient or may witness more physical signs of pain since they are with them longer than you are.
Wearing helmet/pads
Crossing the street
Adult supervision still necessary
Stranger danger
Prevent burns and drownings
Car seat vs. booster seat
Prevent self harm/suicide
What are the factors why children will become non-compliant with their medication, and what could you do to help?
Taste - becomes a huge issue with these kids, so make sure you have a chaser available, such as juice or a popsicle, if the medication isn’t flavored.
Fear - Be cautious when selecting your needle sizes because children have much less adipose tissue than adults.
When kids in this age bracket become overweight they are likely to develop ______, ______, _______
- Diabetes
- High blood pressure
- Poor self-esteem
School-age children require the same amount of nutrition as an adolescent
- False
Kids in this age bracket don’t need as many calories as they once did since their growth has slowed down significantly. However, this means that their food choices become incredibly important. They need to be taught how to make healthy food choices.
What is the name of the scoring system we use to assess a school-age patient based on their behavior, symptoms, and vital signs?
PEWS scoring system
(PEDIATRIC EARLY WARNING SCORE)
this score is an early indicator to determine if the patient is going septic and requires a higher level of care. A large increase in score indicates the patient needs intervention.
What are the changes, or what is the baseline vital signs for school-age children?
- Respiratory rate 17-25
- Heart rate 85-95
- Blood pressure increases
- O2 sat 95-100%
(Fever for school-age children are over 101.4F)
How would you develop trust with the patient?
- Explain everything you are doing BEFORE you do it and in a way that the PATIENT can understand.
- NEVER lie to the patient. If you are going to do something that hurts, or is uncomfortable, or giving them a medication that tastes bad, you need to be honest with them.
- Remember to utilize your child life specialists in any procedure that is bound to make the child anxious, frightened, or inflict pain upon them.
-The Look-talk-touch approach helps guide you in your interactions with patients.
What should a nurse do to lessen the anxiety of the pediatric patient during medication administration?
- make sure you have everything you need with you, so you don’t make the patient worry or stress for longer periods of time while you make multiple trips to the med room or the supply room. This will only worsen their anxiety.
- start with the least invasive things first.
- Touch: Avoid sudden movements and get down to their eye level. By standing above them all of the time, you are subconsciously telling them you are superior than them. This doesn’t help to foster the trusting relationship needed when working with kids.
- Talk: Talk to the patient and their parents or caregivers about any recent history or problems you should be aware of. Pay close attention to what the child tells you and how they say it. You can learn a lot from things they have been experiencing or ways they are feeling by watching them.
4’9” can be in a regular seatbelt
True