Home » Downloads » Assessment priority

Assessment priority

Assessment priority

Assessment priority

The critical first steps are ensuring that Tommy\’s airway is clear, he is breathing adequately, and his circulation is stable. After that, a focused assessment of Tommy\’s abdominal region is necessary due to his guarding, crying, and moaning, which could suggest potential abdominal pain or distress, possibly related to the ingestion of Amoxicillin. It is important to assess his abdomen using inspection, auscultation, percussion, and palpation. We would need to pay close attention to all the details as he is young and non-verbal and not able to state his issue.

Pain assessment

Pain assessment in a non-verbal 3-year-old can be challenging. The use of the FLACC (Face, Legs, Activity, Cry, Consolability) scale is appropriate in this scenario. The FLACC scale assesses pain based on five criteria: facial expression, leg movement, activity, cry, and consolability, each scored from 0 to 2, providing a total score between 0 and 10, with higher scores indicating more severe pain as highlighted by Hummel et al. (2019).



Differential Diagnoses

Acute Amoxicillin Toxicity (T36.0X1A): Due to the ingestion of a potentially large dose of Amoxicillin, acute toxicity is a primary concern, which can present with gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain as discussed by Manning et al. (2021).

Acute Gastroenteritis (K52.9): Tommy seems to have abdominal pain, he is crying, and moaning, acute gastroenteritis could be a differential diagnosis.

Intestinal Obstruction (K56.609): Intestinal obstruction is a possibility, especially with signs of guarding and significant abdominal pain, which can be a medical emergency in young children (Gupta et al., 2020).



Treatment

The treatment approach for toxic ingestion of Amoxicillin in a pediatric patient begins with stabilization, including the ABCs, followed by decontamination within an hour of ingestion. Monitoring and supportive care, including intravenous fluids, are important. If signs of an allergic reaction or anaphylaxis are present, emergency interventions like epinephrine administration may be necessary as discussed by Nelson & Lehman (2020). Consultation with a poison control center and possible admission for observation are considered based on the patient’s condition.



Patient Education

Medication Safety: education will be provided to the mother and family members on the importance of storing all medications, including leftover prescriptions, out of reach and sight of children to prevent accidental ingestions.

Recognition of Toxicity Signs: The mother will be educated on how to recognize signs of toxicity or allergic reactions, such as difficulty breathing, severe vomiting, or rash, and to seek immediate medical attention if these occur as mentioned by Levine (2022).

Follow-up and Monitoring: the importance of observing Tommy for any worsening symptoms will be emphasized, and the mother will be educated to monitor for increased abdominal pain or changes in behavior, and when and where to seek help if needed.



Follow-up

A follow-up visit will be scheduled within 24 to 48 hours to reassess Tommy\’s condition and to ensure that there are no delayed effects of the ingestion. The mother will be advised to take him to the emergency department if his symptoms worsen.

References

Gupta, P., Deenadayalan, S., & Mahajan, J. K. (2020). Intestinal obstruction in children. Journal of Indian Association of Pediatric Surgeons, 25(3), 157-164.

Hummel, P., van Dijk, M., & van den Berg, J. P. (2019). The FLACC scale: Evidence of reliability and validity for pain assessment in children with cognitive impairments. Journal of Pediatric Nursing, 47, 33-40.

Levine, D. A. (2022). Common pediatric toxicology emergencies. Emergency Medicine Clinics of North America, 40(2), 329-342.

Manning, B. J., Lowry, J., & Duggan, E. (2021). Antibiotic toxicities and adverse reactions in pediatric populations. Infectious Disease Clinics of North America, 35(1), 73-88.

Nelson, L. S., & Lehman, L. (2020). Acute poisoning and management strategies. New England Journal of Medicine, 383(1), 69-78.
Paper Format: APA

answer preview to Assessment priority

response

APA

300 WORDS

Place order

× Lets chat on whatsapp?