Prevention and Early Detection of Disease in Infants, Children, and Adolescents

The role of the pediatric nurse in the prevention and early detection of disease includes the following:

1. Engaging in disease prevention activities (washing hands thoroughly before and after providing patient care).
2. Participating in health promotion programs, such as teaching a class on accident prevention to parents of infants and young children.
3. Conducting health screening as needed, such as performing Denver Developmental Screening Test (DDST) on age-appropriate patients (1 month to 6 years) in the pediatric clinic as part of routine screening.
4. Teaching families about and administering immunizations as ordered-signs/symptoms of reactions, providing parents with an immunization record card after administering immunization(s).
5. Discussing lifestyle choices with older children and adolescents, as appropriate (discussing risks associated with body piercing and tattooing).

Coping and Adaptation in Infants, Children, and Adolescents

The role of the pediatric nurse in coping and adaptation includes the following:

1. Understanding and respecting religious and spiritual influences on children’s health (allowing families to engage in dying and death rituals according to their spiritual beliefs).
2. Helping patients engage in problem solving related to situational role changes, such as discussing transportation and child care issues with the parents of a child who is newly diagnosed with leukemia.