Health Promotion and Maintenance
28. A child, hospitalized with nephrotic syndrome, has been receiving corticosteroids for a week. What should the nurse recognize as early evidence that the child is responding well to treatment?
Health Promotion and Maintenance
28. A child, hospitalized with nephrotic syndrome, has been receiving corticosteroids for a week. What should the nurse recognize as early evidence that the child is responding well to treatment?
. Decreased general edema.
. Increased urinary output.
. Improved general appetite.
. Hemoglobin and hematocrit within normal limits.
Test-Taking Tip
Note the word "earliest" in the stem of the question. To arrive at the best answer, order the possible correct responses from early to late signs of improvement.
Content Area: Child Health, Genitourinary; Integrated Process: Nursing Process, Evaluation; Cognitive Level: Analysis; Client Need/Subneed: Physiological Integrity/Pharmacological and Parenteral Therapies/Expected Effects/Outcomes
Health Promotion and Maintenance
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Answer 1 is incorrect because, although decreasing edema is a sign of improvement, this is not the earliest sign. Answer 2 is correct because the earliest sign that a child with nephrotic syndrome is improving is an increase in urine output. Answer 3 is incorrect because a child's appetite should improve as the nephrotic syndrome resolves, but children's appetites can vary for a number of reasons. This sign would not necessarily signify that the child is or is not getting better. Answer 4 is incorrect because resolution of anemia would be a later sign of improvement.