Neonate and Pediatric Presentation Question Answer 2022

Running head: NEONATE AND PEDIATRIC PRESENTATIONS
Discussion: She is so hot, I am really worried
Name
Instructions

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NEONATE AND PEDIATRIC PRESENTATIONS
1. What Triage score would you give this patient?
In this case, I would give the baby ATS category 4. This is because the baby was suffering from
a high fever, diarrhoea and vomiting. The category suggests that treatment and assessment
should commence within a period of one hour (Hodge, Hugman, Varndell & Howes, 2013). The
baby’s condition potentially serious as the situation can worsen, or result in adverse outcome if
treatment and assessment is not carried out within 60 minutes of arrival in the Emergency
Department (ED).
2. List the provisional diagnosis/potential problems?
The baby’s condition can be attributed to a lot of factors such as a virus infection, parasite or
bacteria. The baby could have picked up germs when it came into contact with unclean water or
food or contact from dirty surfaces and then put their hands into their mouths. The infection can
be from viruses such as rotavirus, bacteria like salmonella. According to Roque (2019), rotavirus
is very dangerous for infants and is the most common cause of diarrheal problems among babies
(Habib, Kazi, Khan & Zia, 2014). Almost every child worldwide is infected with rotavirus at
least before the age of five (5) years.
Moreover, the baby’s fever, vomiting, and diarrhoea cause loss of body fluids and leads to
dehydration, which is significantly dangerous, especially for infants and young children.
Rotavirus is highly contagious and this could explain why the mother’s 3 years old son has the
same illness. Rotavirus passes easily from one person to another. The virus can be easily passed
through the stool of an infected person prior to and after showing symptoms. Furthermore,
children can acquire the infection when they put hands in their mouths after coming into contact
with a contaminated surface such as toys. Comparatively, this could have happened if the 3 years

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NEONATE AND PEDIATRIC PRESENTATIONS
older baby did not wash his hands, especially after using the toilet and before eating. The fault
could also lie on the parent, those who care for the infants, including childcare and health care
workers, can also spread the virus, especially if they fail to clean their hands after changing
diapers. Failure to wash hands carefully after changing diapers, before handling food, and using
the bathroom can have adverse effects. Washing your hands often is the best way to stop
spreading of the virus.
3. Name at least 5 key elements when taking a history for paediatric presentations
i. Presentation of the complaints: this is done in parent’s own words in
chronological order. Chronology in nursing highlights all the information
provided by the parent in sequence (Excelas1, 2019). This order is very
important and can help the healthcare provider and legal nurse consultant in
locating the records later.
ii. History of the present illness: first, the nurse enquires about when the baby
was entirely well. Second, complains are presented in accordance to time,
place, quality, alleviative factors (seasonal or diurnal), associated symptoms,
and treatment if any. The third step involves a systemic inquiry of weight,
CVS, respiratory system, gastrointestinal system, CNS, genitourinary system,
and rheumatological system.
iii. Birth history: this is usually important in neonatal cases to inquire about the
antenatal history which involves the mother’s health, nutrition status, and
illnesses during pregnancy. The natal history is also taken to identify the place
of birth, type of delivery, gestation time, etc. the postnatal history follows to
identify the basic problems, fevers, procedures, convulsions, and birth weight.