The nurse is caring for a 5-year-old child diagnosed with a terminal brain tumor. The child is playing with a doll, and looks up at the nurse and asks, "What's wrong with me? Why am I sick?" The nurse's best response is to:
1. Tell the child she has an abnormal growth in her head affecting her neurological functioning.
2. Point to the head of the doll and tell the child that her head is sick.
3. Point to the head of the doll and tell the child that she has a tumor in her head that is like a lump that is pushing from inside.
4. Tell the child to talk to her parents and they will explain.
2
Rationale: When explaining an illness to children, it always is best to begin with small amounts of information and get more in-depth based on the questions they ask, so the best response is to explain that her head is sick. If she asks what's wrong with her head, the more detailed explanation in answer option 3 can be offered. Parents often have difficulty talking about this with their sick child, because they are dealing with their own reactions to the illness. Option 1 has too many terms the child would not understand.
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