Nursing Assignment: Child Development, Patient Care and Support

This nursing assignment comprehensively addresses key aspects of patient care and child development. Part A provides a detailed table outlining the physical, cognitive, and psychosocial development stages from infancy to adolescence. Part B emphasizes the importance of building strong nurse-patient relationships through communication strategies and showing concern. Part C describes the steps involved in taking a client history, focusing on explanation, recall, understanding, mutual understanding, decision-making, and closing. Part D lists community support and resources, including home help, transportation, and personal response programs. Part E outlines the nurse's role in discharge planning, including medication reminders and family involvement. Question Two explores the benefits of play in child development, assessment of caregivers, and interventions related to pain medication. Question Three discusses the negative effects of prolonged hospitalization on children and families, addressing fears, loneliness, and feelings of rejection.

Nursing Assignment 1
NURSING ASSIGNMENT
By (Student’s Name)
Professor’s Name
College
Course
Date

Nursing Assignment 2
QUESTION ONE
PART A
Age level Physical skills/Motor
development
Cognitive/Psychosocial development
0-4 weeks The infant is able to: lift head
when on the stomach, lift head
halfway briefly when on back,
stay awake longer, stabilize, and
make more movements. The hand
is usually closed and suck on
anything that touches mouth
The infant is able to: stare at faces for a
short time, selectively smile at mothers’
and other human voices, cry when tired,
hungry or in pain
1-3 months The infant is able to: lift head at
450 when on stomach, roll from
side to back, vocalize, put hands
together, reach for objects, suck
hands or fingers, bear fraction of
weight when held in standing
position.
The infant is able to: babble and coo,
giggle, squeal, laugh loudly, smile in
response to human faces. Also their
attention span increases.
3-6 months The infant is able to: roll from the
stomach to back, reach for
objects, eat solid food, bear more
weight when held in standing
The infant is able to: smile when they
see image in mirror, vocalize vowels a
few syllables and consonants, respond
to tone and voice

Nursing Assignment 3
position, and inspect objects using
hands mouth and eyes. Also the
head, hands, and eyes work
together well.
6-9 months The infant is able to: sit without
any support, stand while holding
on, pull oneself to stand, sit
oneself up from a laying position,
feed oneself finger food, hold
bottle, move a lot. Also feet are in
the mouth more often.
The infant is able to: say mama and
dada, respond when called by name and
also to ‘no.’, imitate speech sounds, say
a lot of syllable sounds, e.g., ma, ba, da
9-12
months
The infant is able to: drink from a
cup only by 50%, walk with
support, stand for a short time and
take a few wobbly steps, bang
objects held in both hands
together, grasp objects neatly
The infants is able to say mama, dada in
a correct manner, replicate what a
person says, follow commands given
e.g. come here and also develops a
sense of humor.
12-15
months
The infant is able to use a spoon
by 50% with little spilling, stand
and walk well, stand when they
fall, build a tower of two cubes,
hold crayon and scribble a lot,
put a ball or raisin in a box or
bottle, drink from a cup without
The infant is able to: say three to five
words, communicate with gestures, use
words for attention, shake head for no
and understand its meaning, replicate
tasks by 50%

Nursing Assignment 4
an assistant.
15-18
months
The infant is able to: run, use a
spoon, help in household tasks by
50%, walk backward, turn pages
crudely, take off some clothing,
climb on furniture, e.g., sofa.
The infant is able to: say around ten
words, point at body parts by 50%,
point out objects in pictures, wave bye-
bye, distinguish you and me, and claim
their stuff. Also they are aware of where
things are or where they belong and
know when something is over.
18-24
months
The infant is able to walk up and
down stairs while holding on, turn
pages one at a time, build tower of
4 or 6, wash and dry hands, dress
and undress on their own, string
beads, do simple tasks in the
house.
The infant is able to say more words,
name common objects in pictures, ask
for food and drinks, follow directions,
point out when they spoil a diaper,
combine 2 or 3 words, ask for another
and understand its meaning, recognise
family members, copy real-life
situations when playing, focus on
oneself.
2 Years The child is able to go to the
toilet, dress oneself but with
supervision, zip, button or buckle,
use push toys well, jump with
both feet, carry objects that can
The child is able to stay away from
danger, e.g., stove, use about 300
words, make 3 to 4-word sentences.
Around 36 months, uses 1000 words
which have more adjectives and verbs.

Nursing Assignment 5
break, pour from one container to
another, stand on one foot but for
a short time, build tower of 8
cubes, pedal on a tricycle, hold a
pencil correctly, replicate
horizontal lines.
Also they know family, name, sex and
amount, e.g., big and small. They are
curios and ask what things are.
3 Years The infant is able to stand on one
foot for 5 seconds, use toilet well,
hop on one foot, jump over a long
distance, draw and name a picture,
draw a person with two parts.
The child is able to count up to hold up
fingers to tell age, say both their name,
give answers to questions that are
simple, comprehend long and short,
take turns, rerepeat 3 to 4 digits. Also
they know 1500 words and bargain with
other children.
4-5 Years The child is able to balance on
one foot for longer (10) seconds,
catch a ball that has bounced,
draw a person with three parts,
hop easily on one foot, replicate a
triangle, tie shoes, dress, brush
teeth and wash their face.
The child is able to distinguish colours,
comprehend opposite e.g. day and night,
ask a lot of questions especially why
and how, count 5 to 10 items, answer
questions well. Also they do not agree
with most things the parent says.
6-11 Years The child has good motor skills
and is able to interact with the
The child is able to think more
reasonably and rationally and can

Nursing Assignment 6
environment and perceive it. understand other people’s perspective.
12-17
Years
The child reaches puberty thus
there is growth that is rapid and
therefore becomes a teenager. The
sex organs mature and they
develops secondary sex
characteristics such as the growth
of pubic hair ((Berk, 2017).
The teenager possess hypothetical
thinking and can take many perceptions
but this ability is limited. In late
adolescence, operational thinking is
formal.
PART B
As a nurse when dealing with patients, it is important that I build a good relationship with
them and their families. To build this relationship, I will show concern in the patient and the
family members. This can be done by asking them questions such as how they are feeling or if
they need anything. By showing concern the family and client will develop a good relationship
with me because they will view me as caring. Some of the communication strategies I will use
are; verbal communication where I ask questions, non-verbal communication where I maintain
eye contact and visual communication where I can use charts (Dang et al. 2017)
PART C
The steps taken when taking client history are:
1. Explanation and planning. Here one gives the patient information on what has happened
and if it is correct and that both agree on it.
2. Recall and understanding. Here one makes the information easy for the patient and uses
reflection.

Nursing Assignment 7
3. Ensure the client and nurse understands each other. Here the nurse encourages the patient
to interact with the history taking so that it is not one way.
4. Decision making. Here the nurse involves the patient in planning and making a decision
based on the history.
5. Closing. Here the nurse explains the findings and offers a plan that the patient finds
acceptable (Dubin, 2017).
PART D
Some of the community support and resources available in the community are
1. Home help program. Assists in general home cleaning, laundry, cooking and shopping
2. Transportation program. Provides transport from the health care to the home
3. Bath Care program. Assists members who are unable to bath on their own
4. Supportive Housing Program. For those that need personal care
5. LifeLine Personal Response Program. Help individuals live independently by assuring that
help is only a button push away. The person in need of help presses the Personal Help Button
on their wristband (Ploeg et al 2017)
PART E
My role and responsibility as a nurse when discharging a patient is to ensure effective
care even after they leave the healthcare facility. This can be done by providing reminders on
when to take medicine and labeling the medicine correctly. Also involving a third party such as a
family member to carry on the duties I fulfilled. I will brief them on everything they need to do
on a daily basis. (Al-Hashar et al. 2017).

Nursing Assignment 8
QUESTION TWO
PART A
The play is a pleasurable, fun activity that children partake. It is a very valuable
experience to children because one, it fosters brain development. The activity involved in
playing strengthens and builds brain pathways thus shaping the structural design of the brain
(Athey 2018). Two, it enables learning. Most plays are based on life experiences and by
partaking in the play a child can learn. Three, it allows development of motor skills through the
physical activity involved in playing. Lastly, the child health and well-being significantly
improve. (Dobbins et el. 2017)
PART B
When taking an assessment of the caregiver, I will begin by asking the patient’s history
which includes allergies, reaction, and a history that is relevant, implants and any family or
social history. While taking the patient history, I will ensure that I maintain eye contact and not
interrupt the caregiver while they are answering. After the history takes then is the physical
assessment and emotional state of the patient. When doing a physical assessment, one needs to
take note of the age of the patient and stage of development. The next step is to take the vital
signs of the patient, and these include the temperature, heart rate, blood pressure, and pain. The
nurse is then supposed to interact with the caregiver to know what they are comfortable with and
what they prefer regarding treatment and care for the patient. Finally after treatment is the
discharge plan where the nurse ensures that the caregivers will continue providing care to the
patient by giving them detailed instructions on what to do and when to do it ( Dubin 2017).

Nursing Assignment 9
PART C
I will contact the Medical officer and inform them of my findings of the pain medication and
offer them an alternative medicine that has fewer effects on neonates (Zerwekh and Gaernau
2017).
QUESTION THREE
Hospitalization over long periods of time can have negative effects on not only the child
(patient) but also the family. The child may fear being left alone in the hospital especially when
parents come and visit and have to leave. They may fear separation from the family because they
are alone. They may become lonely and feel like they are being rejected. They may feel like they
are not like other kids because something is wrong with them. They may develop a fear of pain.
They may worry a lot about what will happen to them, and this can lead to depression. They may
refuse to eat, and this will cause their health to deteriorate. They may develop behaviors such as
sucking thumb and wetting the bed to cope. The family, on the other hand, may become stressed
and worried all the time. They may develop guilty feelings for leaving their child in the hospital.
Some may develop anger because they cannot help their child. (Lee et al. 2017).
QUESTION FOUR
Adolescents are among a large number of people that are faced with many health issues.
Most adolescents suffer from eating disorders and obesity. This is the time where they are fully
aware of their body image and try to adjust to what is accepted in the society. Thus they refrain
from eating and become thin. Depression follows suit after this. This happens when they are
unable to lose weight and thus find comfort in food. Sexually transmitted diseases are also
rampant among adolescents. This is because most of them have unprotected sex due to lack of
guidance. Therefore have a higher chance of acquiring STD’s and HIV. Unprotected sex also

Nursing Assignment 10
leads to unwanted pregnancies which become a health issue if there are complications during
pregnancy especially in cases where they were not fully developed to carry a pregnancy to term.
(Bundy et al. 2017)
QUESTION FIVE
Some of the impacts that infertile people may face are: They may develop depression.
The individual may fall into depression due to constant thinking and blame oneself for the cause.
They may become unhappy especially in cases where they see children or a parent with a child.
It will remind them of their situation and thus make them sad. They may become introverts. One
will try as much as possible to avoid situations that will remind them of their conditions thus
want to stay indoors. It will lead to loss of intimacy. If it is a couple, the news that they are
infertile may take a toll on the relationship and cause them not to involve in any sexual relations
(Kushawasha et al. 2018).
QUESTION SIX
The determinants of health in a person are the physical environment, social and economic
environment and the personal characteristics and behaviors. For example, a person with a good
source of income and high social status is linked to better health. Also if a person lives in an area
with clean water and good living conditions, then they are less likely to fall sick. Genes and the
environment also affect health outcomes. If one is exposed to an environment of drugs, then they
will most likely affect their health in the future. Genes, on the other hand, are inherited from the
parent. If a parent has diabetes, there is likely a chance that one of their offspring will inherit the
disease (Barer 2017).
QUESTION SEVEN
The principals of family care:

Nursing Assignment 11
1. Dignity and respect: listen and honor patients and family perspectives
2. Information sharing: sharing complete information that is not biased
3. Participation: family members encouraged to participate in the care
4. Collaboration and evaluation: the patient, family, and nurse work together in the delivery
of care (McKinnel et al. 2018).
QUESTION EIGHT
Areas that may be gender-specific are brain and nervous system because women
experience more pain than men, heart, because symptoms of heart diseases are not the same in
both, lungs because of smoking cause more danger to women than men and immune systems
because women can fight viral infections better than men (Pace et al. 2017)
QUESTION NINE
PART A
One can identify clients that are deteriorating through the monitoring of vital signs. These
include heart rate, blood pressure, consciousness, body temperature and the urinal output
monitored highly. If a client’s blood pressure drops then this can be a sign (Harford et al. 2017)
PART B
Level of consciousness is determined by AVPU
A: Alert and oriented. Documented as Alert (A) or oriented (O) on a scale of 1(weak) to
4(strong)
V: Verbal stimuli respond. Documented as unconscious or conscious
P: response to pain. Documented on a scale of 1(no pain) to 10(extremely painful).
U: Unresponsive. Documented as whether they respond to pain stimuli or not (Harford et
al. 2017)

Nursing Assignment 12
PART C
My role is to ensure detection of early signs of deterioration in health to ensure
immediate action is taken (Harford et al. 2017)
QUESTION TEN
I will deliver care that ensures standards of good by:
Being professional. This allows me to take care of patients as expected of me without letting my
personal life or issues get in the way.
Forming a work alliance. This enables me and my co-workers work together effectively.
Offering excellent service. I will offer the best service to my clients (Al-Shahar et al. 2017)
QUESTION ELEVEN
Nurses’ responsibilities are
1. Assess risk factors and outcomes that lead to poor nutrition
2. Screen and monitor the nutritional status of the patient
3. Ensure that food and drinks are implemented correctly
4. Ensure medication being administered does not affect swallowing
5. Ensure they are up to date in enteral feeding practice (Al-Hashaar et al. 2017)
QUESTION TWELVE
The wellness model is a model that ensures the wellbeing of a patient from the social,
environmental, spiritual, emotional, and intellectual to physical wellness. I can implement
wellness by addressing the patient as a whole, providing assistant to the patient so that they can