The nurse is caring for a 7-year-old boy experiencing respiratory distress who is scheduled to have a chest radiograph. What would be most important for the nurse to include in the child's plan of care?

Question

A) Administering a sedative to help calm the child
B) Assisting the child to lie still during the chest radiograph
C) Accompanying the child to continue observation
D) Informing the child that he might hear a loud banging noise

Answer 1

Ans: B
Chest radiographs that disclose alterations in normal anatomy or lung expansion, or evidence of pneumonia, tumor, or foreign body, are commonly performed for respiratory emergencies. Therefore, the nurse would need to assist the child in remaining still during the procedure. A sedative may be ordered for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Accompanying the child to continue observation would be necessary if the child was to undergo a computed tomography scan. Telling the child about a loud banging noise would be appropriate if the child was having an MRI.