Question

A nurse is creating a plan of care for a school-age child who has heart disease and has developed heart failure. W_____________ interventions should the nurse include in the plan

Answer 1

A care plan for a child with heart disease and heart failure should focus on reducing cardiac workload, controlling symptoms, and avoiding deterioration. Monitoring vital signs, providing a low-sodium diet, ensuring a balance between rest and activity, managing medication, and educating the family are all crucial interventions.

Step-by-step explanation:

A nurse creating a plan of care for a school-age child with heart disease and heart failure should include several key interventions. These interventions are focused on reducing the workload on the heart, controlling symptoms, and preventing further deterioration. Some important interventions would include:

• Monitoring vital signs to assess for any changes in the child's condition.
• Providing a low-sodium diet to help reduce fluid retention and minimize the workload on the heart.
• Ensuring adequate rest and a balance between activity and rest periods to prevent overexertion.
• Administering medications as prescribed, which might include diuretics, ACE inhibitors, or beta-blockers to manage heart failure symptoms and improve heart function.
• Monitoring fluid intake and output to prevent fluid overload which can worsen heart failure.
• Educating the child and family about the disease process, management strategies, and signs of worsening heart failure.

All these measures collectively help in managing heart failure in children with heart disease and enhance their quality of life.