Deck 42: Nursing Care of the Child With an Alteration in Bowel Elimination/Gastrointestinal Disorder

Question 1

The nurse is teaching the mother of a 5-year-old boy with a history of impaction how to administer enemas at home. Which of the following responses from the mother indicates a need for further teaching?

A) "I should position him on his abdomen with knees bent."
B) "He will require 250 to 500 mL of enema solution."
C) "I should wash my hands and then wear gloves."
D) "He should retain the solution for 5 to 10 minutes."

Answer 1

"I should position him on his abdomen with knees bent."

Question 2

The nurse is taking a health history of an 11-year-old girl with recurrent abdominal pain. Which of the following responses would lead the nurse to suspect irritable bowel syndrome?

A) "I always feel better after I have a bowel movement."
B) "I don't take any medicine right now."
C) "The pain comes and goes."
D) "The pain doesn't wake me up in the middle of the night."

Answer 2

"I always feel better after I have a bowel movement."

Question 3

The nurse is caring for a 3-year-old girl with short bowel syndrome as a result of trauma to the small intestine. The girl's mother is extremely anxious and tells the nurse she is afraid she will never learn how to care for her daughter at home. How should the nurse respond?

A) "I will help you become an expert on your daughter's care."
B) "You must learn how to care for your daughter at home."
C) "You really need the support of your husband."
D) "There is a lot to learn and you need a positive attitude."

Answer 3

"I will help you become an expert on your daughter's care."

Question 4

The nurse is conducting a physical examination of a child with suspected Crohn disease. Which of the following findings would be the most highly suspicious of Crohn disease?

A) Normal growth patterns
B) Perianal skin tags or fissures
C) Poor growth patterns
D) Abdominal tenderness

Question 5

The nurse is caring for an infant with a temporary ileostomy. As part of the plan of care, the nurse monitors for skin breakdown around the stoma. If redness occurs, which of the following would be most appropriate to promote healing and prevent further skin breakdown?

A) Clean the area well with a scented diaper wipe.
B) Apply a barrier/healing cream or paste on the skin.
C) Use a barrier wafer (such as Stomahesive) to attach the appliance.
D) Sanitize the area with an alcohol wipe after each diaper change.

Question 6

The nurse is caring for a 4-year-old boy who has undergone an appendectomy. The child is unwilling to use the incentive spirometer. Which approach would be most appropriate to elicit the child's cooperation?

A) "Can you cough for me please?"
B) "You must blow in this or you might get pneumonia."
C) "If you don't try, I will have to get the doctor."
D) "Can you blow this cotton ball across the tray?"

Question 7

A nurse is caring for a 14-year-old girl scheduled for a barium swallow/upper gastrointestinal (GI) series. Before providing instructions, which of the following would be the priority?

A) Screening the girl for pregnancy
B) Reminding her to drink plenty of fluids after the procedure
C) Ordering a bowel prep
D) Reminding the girl about potential light-colored stools

Question 8

The nurse has developed a plan of care for a 12-month-old hospitalized with dehydration as a result of rotavirus. Which intervention would the nurse include in the plan of care?

A) Encouraging consumption of fruit juice
B) Offering Kool-Aid or popsicles as tolerated
C) Encouraging milk products to boost caloric intake
D) Maintaining the intravenous fluid rate as ordered

Question 9

The nurse is caring for a 2-month-old with a cleft palate. The child will undergo corrective surgery at age 3 months. The mother would like to continue breastfeeding the baby after surgery and wonders if it is possible. How should the nurse respond?

A) "There is a good chance that you will be able to breastfeed almost immediately."
B) "Breastfeeding is likely to be possible, but check with the surgeon."
C) "After the suture line heals, breastfeeding can resume."
D) "We will have to wait and see what happens after the surgery."

Question 10

The school nurse is working with a 10-year-old girl with recurrent abdominal pain. The girl's teacher has been less than understanding about the frequent absences and trips to the nurse's office. How should the nurse respond?

A) "Be patient; she is trying some new medication."
B) "The pain she is having is real."
C) "The family is working toward improvement."
D) "Please do not add to this family's stress."

Question 11

Which finding would lead the nurse to suspect that a child is experiencing moderate dehydration?

A) Dusky extremities
B) Tenting of skin
C) Sunken fontanels
D) Hypotension

Question 12

The nurse is determining maintenance fluid requirements for a child who weighs 25 kg. How much fluid would the child need per day?

A) 1,560 mL
B) 1,600 mL
C) 1,650 mL
D) 1,700 mL

Question 13

The parents of a child diagnosed with celiac disease ask the nurse what types of food they can offer their child. Which of the following would the nurse include in the teaching plan?

A) Frozen yogurt
B) Rye bread
C) Creamed spinach
D) Fruit juice

Question 14

The mother of a 3-week-old infant old brings her daughter in for an evaluation. During the visit, the mother tells the nurse that her baby is spitting up after feedings. Which response by the nurse would be most appropriate?

A) "We need to tell the doctor about this."
B) "Infants this age commonly spit up."
C) "Your daughter might have an allergy."
D) "Don't worry; you're just feeding her too much."

Question 15

A group of students are reviewing information about fluid balance and losses in children in comparison to adults. The students demonstrate a need for additional review when they identify which of the following?

A) Children have a proportionately greater amount of body water than do adults.
B) Fever plays a greater role in insensible fluid losses in infants and children.
C) A higher metabolic rate plays a major role in increased insensible fluid losses.
D) The infant's immature kidneys have a tendency to overconcentrate urine more.

Question 16

An 8-month-old infant is brought to the clinic for evaluation. The mother tells the nurse that she has noticed some white patches on the infant's tongue that look like curdled milk after breastfeeding. The nurse suspects oral candidiasis (thrush). Which question would the nurse use to help confirm this suspicion?

A) "Are you having breast pain when you nurse the baby?"
B) "Has he had any dairy problems recently?"
C) "Is he experiencing any vomiting lately?"
D) "How have his stools been this past week?"

Question 17

The parents of a 6-week-old boy come to the clinic for evaluation because the infant has been vomiting. The parents report that the vomiting has been increasing in frequency and forcefulness over the last week. The mother says, "Sometimes, it seems like it just bursts out of his mouth." A diagnosis of hypertrophic pyloric stenosis is suspected. When performing the physical examination, which of the following would the nurse most likely find?

A) Sausage-shaped mass in the upper midabdomen
B) Hard, moveable, olive-shaped mass in the right upper quadrant
C) Tenderness over the McBurney point in the right lower quadrant
D) Abdominal pain in the epigastric or umbilical region

Question 18

A nursing instructor is developing a class presentation about the medications used to treat peptic ulcer disease. Which drug class would the instructor be least likely to include in the presentation?

A) Antibiotics
B) Proton pump inhibitors
C) Histamine antagonists
D) Prokinetics

Question 19

The parents of a boy diagnosed with Hirschsprung disease are anxious and fearful of the upcoming surgery. The mother states, "I'm worried about having to care for our son's ostomy." Which intervention would be most helpful for the parents?

A) Explaining to them about the diagnosis and surgery
B) Having a wound, ostomy, and continence nurse meet with them
C) Reinforcing that the ostomy will be temporary
D) Teaching them about the medications used to slow stool output

Question 20

A child is scheduled for a lower endoscopy. Which of the following would the nurse include in the child's plan of care in preparation for this test?

A) Explaining about the need to ingest barium
B) Establishing an intravenous access for radionuclide administration
C) Administering the prescribed bowel cleansing regimen
D) Withholding prescribed proton pump inhibitors for 5 days before

Question 21

A group of students are reviewing information about gallbladder disease in children. The students demonstrate a need for additional review when they identify which of the following?

A) Cholesterol gallstones are more frequently found in males.
B) Pigment stones are found primarily in the common bile duct.
C) Pancreatitis is a common complication of cholecystitis in children.
D) Cholecystitis is due to chemical irritation from obstructed bile flow.

Question 22

After teaching the parents of a child diagnosed with celiac disease about nutrition, the nurse determines that the teaching was effective when the parents identify which foods as appropriate for their child? Select all answers that apply.

A) Wheat germ
B) Peanut butter
C) Carbonated drinks
D) Shellfish
E) Jelly
F) Flavored yogurt

Question 23

A group of nursing students are reviewing information about inflammatory bowel disease in preparation for a class discussion on the topic. The students demonstrate understanding of the material when they identify which of the following as characteristic of Crohn disease? Select all answers that apply.

A) Distributed in a continuous fashion.
B) Most common between the ages of 10 to 20 years
C) Elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate
D) Low serum iron levels
E) Tenesmus
F) Loss of haustra within bowel

Question 24

After teaching the parents of a 6-year-old how to administer an enema, the nurse determines that the teaching was successful when they state that they will give how much solution to their child?

A) 100 to 200 mL
B) 200 to 300 mL
C) 250 to 500 mL
D) 500 to 1,000 mL