Question

A nurse receives a telephone call from a neighbor, who says that her child was just hit in the eye with a swing. The nurse rushes to the neighbor's house and notes that the child has sustained a contusion of the eye. The nurse advises the child's mother to immediately:

a) Apply a cold compress to the injured eye
b) Rub the eye gently to reduce swelling
c) Administer over-the-counter pain medication
d) Keep the child lying down with the injured eye covered

Answer 1

When a child sustains a contusion of the eye, the nurse should advise the mother to immediately apply a cold compress to the injured eye to help reduce swelling and minimize pain.

Step-by-step explanation:

In the case where a child has sustained a contusion of the eye, the most appropriate immediate response would be: a) Apply a cold compress to the injured eye. Applying a cold compress can help reduce swelling and minimize pain. Rubbing the eye (option b) is not recommended as it could exacerbate the injury. While over-the-counter pain medication (option c) might help with pain management, it should not be the first course of action without assessing the extent of the injury. Keeping the child lying down with the injured eye covered (option d) may help in some cases, but it is not as immediate a response as applying a cold compress.