While working at a weekend "free clinic," the nurse is assessing a three-year-old when the mother of the child confides that it has been very difficult providing for her family of four children on her limited budget

Question

She is not sure that she has enough money to buy both food for the rest of the month and the antibiotic that is needed for the child's ear infection. Which intervention by the nurse would be most beneficial for the child and this family? 1. Talking with the mother about keeping the child's ear clean by using a Q-tip
2. Putting the mother in contact with a local agency that provides food on a regular basis to needy families and helps them access other resources in the community
3. Providing the mother with samples of food and food stamps for the child
4. Giving the mother free samples of an antibiotic.

Answer 1

2
Rationale 1: Cleaning the ear with a Q-tip will not clear the ear infection.
Rationale 2: Putting the mother in contact with a local agency is most likely to meet the family's basic need for food and possibly connect the mother to a resource that could supply her with the antibiotic for her child.
Rationale 3: The nurse will have neither food samples nor food stamps at her disposal.
Rationale 4: The course of treatment is usually 10 days. Free samples may not be for the appropriate antibiotic or be sufficient to treat the infection. A better intervention will be to provide help that will extend beyond the immediate period.
Global Rationale: