Question

The nurse reinforces instructions to the mother of a child with croup about the measures to take if an acute spasmodic episode occurs. Which statement by the mother indicates the need for further teaching?

1. ""I will take my child out into the humid night air.""
2. ""I will place a steam vaporizer in my child’s bedroom.""
3. ""I will place a cool-mist humidifier in my child’s bedroom.""
4. ""I will place my child in a closed bathroom and allow my child to inhale steam from the running water.""

Answer 1

The statement indicating the need for further teaching about managing croup is the fourth statement regarding placing the child in a closed bathroom with steam. A cool-mist humidifier is a safer alternative to provide moisture without the burn risks associated with steam from hot water.

Step-by-step explanation:

The instruction provided by the mother that indicates a need for further teaching is statement 4: "I will place my child in a closed bathroom and allow my child to inhale steam from the running water." While using humidity can be beneficial during episodes of croup, confining a child in a closed space with potentially hot steam from running water might pose a burn risk and isn't the safest recommendation.

Instead, providing moisture in the air through a cool-mist humidifier in the child's bedroom, as mentioned in statement 3, is considered a safe and beneficial approach during a spasmodic croup episode. Ensuring that the child has access to fresh, humid air, such as by taking the child out into the cool night air as in statement 1, can also help to alleviate symptoms. The use of steam vaporizers can be helpful, as in statement 2, but care must be taken to prevent burns due to hot water or steam.