The nurse is caring for a postoperative preschooler who is crying and has been refusing to eat. The best communication strategy for the nurse to use is to
a. avoid providing the child with simple explanations.
b. assign the child to a different nurse in order to optimize socialization.
c. give the child some clay, crayons, and paper.
d. encourage the child to express complex thoughts and feelings.
ANS: C
Play materials vary with the age and developmental status of the child. Simple, large toys are used with young children; more intricate playthings are used with older preschoolers. Clay, crayons, and paper become modes of expression for important feelings and thoughts about problems. Play can be the nurse's primary tool for assessing preschool children's perceptions about their hospital experience, their anxieties, and their fears. Play can increase their coping ability. Simple explanations reduce the child's anxiety. No child should ever be left to figure out what is happening without some type of simple explanation. Assigning the same caregiver reduces insecurity. The preschooler lacks a suitable vocabulary to express complex thoughts and feelings.
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