Questions: The nurse is caring for a 5 -year-old child in the outpatient clinic. The mother reports that the child attends a daycare facility four days out of the week and that recently a message was sent home that a child in the group had been diagnosed with the flu. The mother reports the child feeling "hot and cold," and complaining of a headache and a sore throat for approximately two days prior to this visit. Taking into account the child's most likely exposure to the influenza virus, as well as being diagnosed with uncomplicated influenza, when will the child most likely begin to experience symptom improvement?

The nurse is caring for a 5 -year-old child in the outpatient clinic. The mother reports that the child attends a daycare facility four days out of the week and that recently a message was sent home that a child in the group had been diagnosed with the flu.

The mother reports the child feeling "hot and cold," and complaining of a headache and a sore throat for approximately two days prior to this visit.

Taking into account the child's most likely exposure to the influenza virus, as well as being diagnosed with uncomplicated influenza, when will the child most likely begin to experience symptom improvement?

Transcript text: The nurse is caring for a 5 -year-old child in the outpatient clinic. The mother reports that the child attends a daycare facility four days out of the week and that recently a message was sent home that a child in the group had been diagnosed with the flu. The mother reports the child feeling "hot and cold," and complaining of a headache and a sore throat for approximately two days prior to this visit. Taking into account the child's most likely exposure to the influenza virus, as well as being diagnosed with uncomplicated influenza, when will the child most likely begin to experience symptom improvement?

Solution

The answer is the second one: The child should show gradual symptom improvement in approximately 1 week.

Explanation for each option:

The child should show gradual symptom improvement after 48 hours on the prescribed antibiotic.
- This option is incorrect because influenza is caused by a virus, and antibiotics are ineffective against viral infections. Antibiotics are used to treat bacterial infections, not viral ones like the flu.
The child should show gradual symptom improvement in approximately 1 week.
- This option is correct. Influenza symptoms typically begin to improve within a week as the body's immune system fights off the virus. While some symptoms may persist longer, noticeable improvement is generally seen around this time frame.
The child should show gradual symptom improvement in approximately $1-3$ days.
- This option is incorrect because it is too soon for significant improvement in flu symptoms. While some mild relief might be felt, the flu usually takes about a week for symptoms to start improving significantly.
The child should show total symptom improvement in approximately $1-3$ days.
- This option is incorrect because complete recovery from the flu in such a short time is unlikely. The flu typically takes longer for symptoms to fully resolve.

In summary, the most accurate expectation for symptom improvement in a child with uncomplicated influenza is gradual improvement in approximately one week.

Was this solution helpful?

Unhelpful

Helpful

Questions asked by other users

< Previous Next >

Thank you for your feedback.

Copied!