A nurse is providing care to a 2-year-old toddler who has a cognitive impairment and was admitted for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) The nurse is providing frequent interventions to maintain the toddler's respiratory status and notes the parents seem increasingly distressed. Which of the following intervention(s) should the nurse implement? (Select All that Apply.)
Explanation & Rationale
A. Provide frequent and routine verbal updates with the parents. Regular updates help reduce parental anxiety and build trust between the healthcare team and the family. Keeping parents informed reassures them that their child is receiving appropriate care. B. Encourage the parents to participate in the toddler's plan of care when appropriate. Involving parents in simple caregiving tasks (e.g., soothing the child, assisting with feedings) fosters a sense of control and connection, easing their distress. C. Perform more frequent health care rounds on the toddler. Increased monitoring ensures early detection of respiratory complications and reassures parents that their child's condition is being closely managed. D. Conduct interprofessional rounds at the child's bedside so the parents can be included. Including parents in bedside rounds allows them to hear updates from multiple specialists, ask questions, and feel more engaged in decision-making regarding their child's care. E. Reinforce education to the parents on all nursing interventions to alleviate added anxiety about tasks they are unfamiliar with. While educating parents is important, overwhelming them with detailed explanations of every intervention may actually increase anxiety rather than alleviate it. Teaching should be concise and tailored to what the parents need to know at the moment. F. Provide the parents with the nurse's personal cell phone number to contact if they have questions while they are away from the hospital. Personal phone numbers should not be given out for professional and ethical reasons. Instead, parents should be provided with the hospital unit’s contact information for any concerns.