Practice Question
A nurse in a community center is reinforcing teaching about poison control with a group of parents. Identify the sequence of actions the nurse should recommend to the parent. (Move the steps into the box on the right, placing them in the order of performance. All steps must be used.)
Answer Choices:
Rationale:
Empty the child's mouth of remaining pills and residue
💠 The first priority is to stop further absorption of the toxic substance by immediately removing pills or medication residue from the child’s mouth.
💠 This action prevents the child from swallowing additional medication, which could worsen toxicity rapidly.
💠 Clearing the mouth reduces the overall amount of poison entering the bloodstream, which is critical in the first seconds after ingestion.
💠 Nurses must always ensure that ongoing exposure ends first, before moving to assessment or calling for help.
💠 Completing this step promptly improves safety and reduces the severity of the poisoning episode.
Determine if the child is breathing
💠 After preventing further ingestion, the nurse’s next priority is assessing airway, breathing, and circulation (ABCs), beginning with breathing.
💠 A child who is not breathing requires immediate basic life support, not poison control instructions.
💠 Poison absorption can rapidly depress respiratory function, making breathing assessment a life-saving action.
💠 Ensuring the airway is clear and ventilation is adequate supports oxygenation and prevents hypoxic injury, which can occur quickly in children.
💠 This step aligns with emergency priorities because ABCs always come before documentation or phone calls.
Identify the medication and dosage strength
💠 Once the child is breathing and stable, gathering information about the type, amount, and strength of medication ingested becomes essential.
💠 Poison control will need this information to determine toxicity level, timeline, and appropriate treatment recommendations.
💠 Identifying the medication allows professionals to distinguish between harmless substances and those requiring urgent medical intervention.
💠 This step supports accurate communication and ensures the parent can provide complete and relevant data when contacting poison specialists.
💠 Without identifying the substance, poison control cannot provide effective, evidence-based instructions for treatment.
Call a poison control center
💠 Calling poison control comes after immediate safety actions and identification of the specific medication involved.
💠 Poison control experts provide step-by-step instructions tailored to the medication, dosage, and child’s condition.
💠 They help determine if emergency department care is needed or if treatment can be managed safely at home.
💠 Delaying the call until after the child’s airway and exposure are addressed ensures the parent can provide accurate and complete information, improving the effectiveness of the guidance.
💠 This final step completes the safe response sequence and ensures professional monitoring of the child’s condition.
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This question is from PN Pediatric Nursing Online Practice 2023 B which contains 49 questions.
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Question Details
- Category: LPN Nursing Exam(s)
- Subcategory: LPN ATI Exams
- Domain: Pediatrics
- Answer Choices: 4