Pediatrics

A child whose dressing will be changed daily for a week asks how the nurse will be able to tell that the wound is getting better, and whether there is anything he can do to help while it is done. Which preparation best matches the capability he has just demonstrated?

• AKeep the explanation short so that he has no time to build up anxiety before the change.
• BOffer him a doll and let him practise a dressing change on it before his own.
• CDescribe only what he will feel and leave the healing question for the next visit.
• DTake him through the order of events, describe what healing will look like, and give him a specific job during the change.