1
A 16-year-old child is admitted to the hospital for treatment after a motor vehicle crash.
Review of the child's record reveals that the child is an emancipated minor. What does
this mean?
A) The child has the legal right to consent to and make decisions for treatment.
B) The nurse needs to check with the child to determine which parent has custody.
C) A court-appointed guardian is needed to ensure that the child's rights are maintained.
D) The nurse must contact the child's guardian for consent to treatment. - Answer A)
The child has the legal right to consent to and make decisions for treatment.
Emancipation is the process by which an individual becomes liberated from the
authority and control of another person. In pediatric care, this term refers to the
emancipation of a child from the authority and control of parents or other guardians. A
minor who is recognized as emancipated by state-mandated criteria can consent to
medical, dental, or psychiatric care without parental knowledge, consent, or liability.
In 2007 the World Factbook published statistics that showed the United States still
lagged behind other industrialized nations in the incidence of infant mortality. What is
one reason that the United States has a higher infant mortality rate than other
countries?
A) Low birth weight
B) Early prenatal care
C) Low adolescent delivery rates
D) Home deliveries - Answer A) Low birth weight
Many factors may be associated with high infant mortality rates and poor health. Low
birth weight and late or nonexistent prenatal care are the main factors in the poor
rankings in infant mortality.
Morbidity rates among children are most highly associated with which cause?
A) Firearms at home
B) School violence
C) Environmental factors
, Maternal & Child Health Nursing Chapter
1
D) Suicide and homicide - Answer C) Environmental factors
The factors most commonly associated with child morbidity are environmental and
socioeconomic problems. The more difficult the societal issues and the more marked
the environmental poverty, the higher the illness rates and childhood morbidity.
Firearms, violence in schools, homicide, and suicide are all factors in morbidity, but they
are not strictly related to children.
Asian American women have the lowest risk of infant mortality of all cultural groups.
Which statement best explains this phenomena?
A) Asian American women have fewer incidences of hypertension.
B) Asian American women have better access to prenatal care.
C) Asian American women rarely have preterm infants born to them.
D) Asian American women have the lowest incidence of chromosomal anomalies of any
cultural group. - Answer B) Asian American women have better access to prenatal care.
African, Hispanic, and Native Americans have the highest risk of infant mortality
because more than 40% of these populations do not receive any prenatal care. Asian
American women are not less likely to have preterm infants, have fewer chromosomal
anomalies or develop hypertension during pregnancy.
When integrating the principles of family-centered care into the birthing process, the
nurse would base care upon which belief?
A) Birth is viewed as a medical event.
B) Families are unable to make informed choices due to stress.
C) Birth results in changes in relationships.
D) Families require little information to make appropriate decisions for care. - Answer C)
Birth results in changes in relationships.
Family-centered care is based on the following principles: Birth affects the entire family,
and relationships will change; birth is viewed as a normal, healthy event in the life of the
family; and families are capable of making decisions about their own care if given
adequate information and professional support.
To decrease childhood mortality, pediatric nurses need to consistently engage in what
activity throughout all age groups?