Final answer:
The correct nursing action when palpating the abdomen of a child complaining of pain is to palpate the painful area last. This approach helps to relax the child, allowing for a more accurate assessment and avoiding the early elicitation of pain that could interfere with the examination.
Step-by-step explanation:
When palpating the abdomen of a 7-year-old child who is complaining of pain, the most appropriate nursing action is to palpate the painful area last. This is because starting the palpation from the areas that are not painful can help the child relax and be less apprehensive, allowing for a more accurate assessment when you eventually palpate the painful area. Moreover, palpating the painful area last helps prevent eliciting pain at the beginning of the examination, which could cause the child to tense up, making further examination more difficult.
Option b, "palpate the painful area last," is therefore the correct answer here. While palpating for rebound tenderness (option c) could be part of a thorough abdominal assessment, it should be done as a part of the palpation sequence rather than as the initial action. Percussion (option d) is another technique that can be used during an abdominal exam, but it is not a substitute for palpation when determining the source of pain.