NURS 310 Basic Principles for Nursing Practice Guide

NURS 310 Basic Principles for Nursing Practice Guide The nurse should be aware of signs of physical, sexual, and emotional abuse and comply with state or provincial mandatory reporting. Signs of abuse may include: • Shaken baby syndrome (ie, irritability or lethargy, poor feeding, emesis, seizures) • Burns in the shape of household items (eg, iron, spatula), from cigarettes, or from immersion in scalding liquid • Repeated injuries in varied stages of healing (eg, bruises, burns, fractures) (Option 4) • Injuries to genitalia • Lapsed time between the injury and the time when care is sought • Inconsistency between the injury and the caregiver's explanation of the injury (eg, client's developmental age, mechanism of injury) (Options 1, 2, and 3) Toddlers and young children are prone to many accidental injuries (eg, aspiration or poisoning from foreign objects in the mouth, climbs onto and falls from furniture, pulling of objects from the table). The injuries and caregivers' explanations are reasonable for these clients. Prior to discharge, the nurse should instruct caregivers on child safety measures within the home to prevent future injury. Educational objective: The nurse should be aware of signs of physical, sexual, and emotional abuse, including repeated injuries in varied stages of healing, shaken baby syndrome, and injuries to genitalia. Suspicion of abuse necessitates mandatory reporting according to state or provincial laws.