A child in the pediatric intensive care unit is alert and able to eat. The child's parent asks the nurse "Why do you keep feeding my child so much? I don't want her to become fat." Which response by the nurse is the most appropriate?

Question

A.
"I understand your concerns and would be worried too."
B.
"She is undernourished and needs to gain some weight."
C.
"Very sick children need more nutrition for healing."
D.
"We are monitoring her intake and she won't get fat."

Answer 1

ANS: C
The parent needs an objective, factual rationale for feeding the child what to the parent seems to be too much food. Critically ill children have higher metabolic rates and need more high-quality calories for healing. The nurse should not convey worry about the child's weight, nor should the nurse state that the child is malnourished unless that is the case. There is no information in the stem of the question that suggests this. Stating that the child won't get fat is playing into the parent's concern about weight without giving any objective reason for the increased intake.