Asthma Nursing Care Plan for 5-Year-Old Children Free Essay Example, 1500 words

Nursing interventions include, but are not limited to, the following: 1) Oxygen therapy- Depending upon the degree of hypoxemia in the child, oxygen supplementation may be required. Low flow oxygen with nasal cannula or facemask is usually sufficient. If there is cyanosis which is immediately life-threatening or the child is moribund, preparation for further airway management and mechanical ventilation is required. 2) Reliever medications- Short-acting 2 agonists form the mainstay of treatment in the management of acute exacerbation of asthma (Bacharier, 2008). In a five-year-old child, these can be administered either through a pressurized metered-dose inhaler with a spacer attached to the face mask or via a nebulizer. In either case, it is important to make certain that the drug is actually reaching the patient. Children with severe acute exacerbation and incomplete response to bronchodilators require systemic (oral or intravenous) steroids which should be administered as soon as the requirement is felt. 3) Controller medications- For 5-year-old children, inhaled corticosteroids (ICS), most commonly budesonide or fluticasone, should be the first line of treatment. The nurse should explain the importance of rinsing the mouth after ICS use and the possible long term effects of these drugs. We will write a custom essay sample on Asthma: Nursing Care Plan for 5-Year-Old Children or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/page Various studies have been done regarding the application of an asthma management plan in ED and its effect on delay in the initiation of management drug therapy, length of stay in ED, rate of hospital admission and compliance with the treatment, and all have yielded conflicting results.