Pre-Test 1 and 2: Introduction to Special Questions Based on Official NCLEX-RN[®]
52. The most appropriate nursing intervention to encourage a child to eat who had a tonsillectomy 24 hours ago is to:
Pre-Test 1 and 2: Introduction to Special Questions Based on Official NCLEX-RN[®]
52. The most appropriate nursing intervention to encourage a child to eat who had a tonsillectomy 24 hours ago is to:
. Promise the child all the ice cream that the child can eat.
. Apply an ice collar to the throat 30 minutes prior to the meal.
. Have the child gargle with mouthwash to relieve any unpleasant taste in the mouth.
. Tell the child that there will be no television that night if some food is not eaten.
Test-Taking Tip
Think "comfort measures" to encourage the child to eat. Oral and throat pain following a tonsillectomy will prevent a child from eating. Eliminate answers that promise or threaten ( Answers 1 and 4 ).
Content Area: Child Health, Pediatric Surgery; Integrated Process: Nursing Process, Implementation; Cognitive Level: Application; Client Need/Subneed: Physiological Integrity/Basic Care and Comfort/Non-pharmacological Comfort Interventions
Pre-Test 1 and 2: Introduction to Special Questions Based on Official NCLEX-RN[®]
.
Answer 1 is incorrect because milk products, such as ice cream, coat the mouth and throat, causing the child to clear the throat, which may initiate bleeding from the surgical site. Answer 2 is correct because an ice collar applied to the throat 30 minutes prior to the meal will serve as a local anesthetic and reduce the child's oral and throat pain, which will assist in eliciting the child's cooperation with eating. Answer 3 is incorrect because gargling is to be avoided in the immediate postoperative period because it can start bleeding from the surgical site. Answer 4 is incorrect because it is punitive. It is not the nurse's role to threaten or punish the child for not eating. It is the nurse's role to find a way to make eating more comfortable for the child.