A school-age client is brought to the emergency department after an arm injury during a football game
When the nurse tells the client that pain medication will be administered through the intravenous line the client begins to scream and wave the unaffected arm. The client's parents ask the nurse why their child is behaving this way. Which response by the nurse is the most appropriate?
1. "Your child is just immature."
2. "Your child is just scared."
3. "It looks like your child may have experienced a head injury as well."
4. "Your child may be remembering a painful injection experience."
Correct Answer: 4
A client's nervous system responds to pain, but many times there are also behavioral responses. A client's pain reaction may be a behavioral response to a similar or previous situation when pain was experienced. This is a learned response and method of coping with the pain. Many children remember getting a "shot" for pain, or getting an immunization. Seeing the syringe and/or needle may trigger this pain reaction. Assuming the child is just "scared" is not something the nurse can be "sure" of, as it is never safe to assume anything as a definite. There is no information to indicate the presence of a head injury or that the client is immature for age.
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