Question

The nurse is planning to administer otic drops to a 6-year-old child. Which action is part of the correct procedure?

A
Insert cotton in the inner ear after giving medication
B
Place several drops in the outer ear
C
Assist the child to lie on the affected side afterward
D
Hold the pinna up and back to instill the drops

Answer 1

The correct action when administering otic drops to a 6-year-old child is to hold the pinna up and back. This technique allows the medication to flow down the ear canal to the eardrum properly, ensuring effective treatment.

Step-by-step explanation:

When administering otic drops to a 6-year-old child, the correct procedure is to hold the pinna up and back to instill the drops. This technique helps straighten the ear canal, allowing the medication to reach the eardrum effectively. For a young child like a 6-year-old, this method ensures that the drops are deposited properly into the ear.

Using cotton to plug the ear after administering medication is not generally recommended since it might absorb the medication and prevent it from reaching the inner ear. Placing drops in the outer ear will not reach the middle ear where they are often needed, and while lying on the affected side can help keep the medication in the ear, it is not necessarily part of the administration process itself. The priority is to correctly instill the drops into the ear canal.