Practice Question
A 6-year-old child has been diagnosed with varicella (chickenpox) and is being cared for at home. Which of the following measures should the nurse recommend to the child's parents to prevent complications and promote comfort?
Answer Choices:
Correct Answer:
Encourage the child to take frequent baths with cool water to soothe the itchy skin
Rationale:
✔️ Encourage cool water baths (Answer B):
🧼 Cool or lukewarm baths are one of the most effective comfort measures during the vesicular stage of chickenpox.
🧼 These baths help reduce itching (pruritus), soothe inflamed skin, and offer relief without the need for systemic medication.
🧼 Adding colloidal oatmeal or baking soda to bathwater can enhance the anti-pruritic effect by calming inflamed skin.
🧼 This method is particularly important for children, who may not tolerate the itch well and are prone to scratching.
🧼 Frequent bathing is also not contraindicated in varicella; it can help keep the skin clean and prevent secondary bacterial infection, especially in warm weather or after sweating.
Why this matters:
🧼 Chickenpox lesions can be very itchy, and when scratched, they can become portals of entry for Staphylococcus aureus or Streptococcus pyogenes, leading to impetigo or cellulitis.
🧼 Comfort measures also help prevent disturbed sleep, irritability, and behavioral distress in children
✔️ Keep the child’s fingernails short (Answer D):
🧼 Keeping nails short and smooth significantly reduces the risk of breaking the skin during scratching episodes.
🧼 This prevents trauma to the vesicles and pustules, which could otherwise lead to scarring or bacterial superinfection.
🧼 In young children, unconscious scratching, especially during sleep, is common. Short nails limit damage even when mittens or gloves aren't tolerated.
🧼 Parents should be instructed to trim nails daily, and hand hygiene should be reinforced to reduce microbial contamination under nails.
Why this matters:
🧼 In children, especially toddlers and preschoolers, motor control is immature. Even with instructions not to scratch, they often can't help it.
🧼 Preventing scratching preserves skin integrity, reducing the likelihood of permanent pox scars and complications like cellulitis or abscess formation..
Want to practice more questions like this?
This question is from RN ATI Paediatric Nurs 307 Quiz which contains 25 questions.
More Questions from This Exam
A nurse is assessing a newborn for manifestations of a large patent ductus arteriosus. Which of the following findings should the nurse expect?
Answer Choices:
A nurse is administering vaccines at a county health immunization clinic. Which of the following clients should the nurse plan to administer the meningococcal conjugate (MCV4) vaccine?
Answer Choices:
A nurse is assessing a 1-year-old child who has Tetralogy of Fallot. Which of the following findings should the nurse expect?
Answer Choices:
A nurse is caring for a client who has hypovolemic shock. Which of the following should the nurse recognize as an expected finding?
Answer Choices:
A nurse is assessing a toddler who has heart failure. Which of the following should the nurse recognize as an expected finding?
Answer Choices:
Question Details
- Category: RN Nursing Exam(s)
- Subcategory: ATI Exam(s)
- Domain: RN ATI Pediatrics
- Answer Choices: 4