The nurse working in a pediatrician's office admits an 8-year-old child whose growth was within the 50th percentile until the past year, when his weight failed to increase. He is now in the 10th percentile for growth
The child's mother reports that he sleeps all the time and all he wants to do when he is awake is play on the computer. His grades have been slipping, and his mother reports he claims he doesn't feel well and can't go to school at least 2-3 times per week. The nurse assesses the child and asks him: 1. "What is school like this year?"
2. "Are you feeling depressed?"
3. "Do you like school?"
4. "Sounds like you're not doing well in school. Why is that?"
1
Rationale: Asking an open-ended question like "What is school like this year?" does not place an expectation for a specific answer on the wording, and requires more information than a simple yes or no. While this child most likely is experiencing depression, asking him if he is depressed is unlikely to yield useful information; he might not really understand the meaning of the term, and it is a question that can be answered in one word. Putting emphasis on poor school performance is liable to make the child defensive, and will not improve nurse-client rapport.
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