Pediatric Infection Risk Care Plan
Focused Exam: Cough – Nursing Care Plan Assignment
Course: NURS 301: Pediatric Nursing Practice
Assessment Task: Individual Care Plan Development
Due Date: Week 6, Friday 5:00 PM
Word Limit: 1,200–1,500 words (excluding appendices)
Weighting: 25% of final grade
Assessment Description
Complete a comprehensive nursing care plan based on the Shadow Health Focused Exam: Cough simulation featuring Danny Rivera, an 8-year-old patient presenting with cough symptoms. Use NANDA-I 2018-2020 diagnostic framework to develop a risk-based diagnosis, short-term goals, interventions, rationales, and evaluation criteria. Prioritize infection prevention strategies addressing Danny’s specific risk factors including poor hand hygiene, exposure to secondhand smoke, and contact with ill peers.
Task Requirements
- Formulate one primary nursing diagnosis in PES format (Problem, Etiology, Signs/Symptoms).
- Establish measurable short-term goal achievable by end of healthcare visit.
- Propose 5-6 evidence-based interventions with rationales linked to goal achievement.
- Include data collection methods for intervention evaluation.
- Develop patient education script explaining diagnosis, goals, interventions, and obtaining consent.
- Reflect on partial goal achievement scenarios (e.g., guardian non-compliance).
Submission Format
- APA 7th edition formatting with title page and references.
- Use Shadow Health scoring rubric structure for diagnosis, planning, interventions.
- Embed simulation screenshots as appendices.
- Submit via LMS as Word document (.docx).
Grading Rubric
| Criteria | High Distinction (85-100%) | Distinction (75-84%) | Credit (65-74%) | Pass (50-64%) | Fail (<50%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nursing Diagnosis (20%) | Precise PES format; all etiologies match case (rare handwashing, sick peer, smoke, face touching); status “at risk for infection” | Correct diagnosis; minor omissions in etiologies | Appropriate but incomplete PES | Basic diagnosis present | Inaccurate or symptom-focused diagnosis |
| Planning & Goals (20%) | SMART short-term goal; verbalization by patient/guardian by visit end | Clear goal; slight measurability issues | Relevant goal stated | Vague goal | No goal or unrelated |
| Interventions (30%) | 6 targeted interventions (hand hygiene, fluids, smoke-free, cough etiquette, no face touch); full rationales | 5 interventions; strong rationales | 4 interventions; basic rationales | 3 interventions listed | <3 or irrelevant interventions |
| Evaluation & Reflection (15%) | Partial achievement analysis; addresses non-compliance | Goal status explained | Basic evaluation | Minimal reflection | No evaluation |
| Patient Communication (10%) | Complete education script with consent; empathetic tone | Clear script; minor gaps | Adequate communication | Partial script | No patient dialogue |
| Scholarship (5%) | APA flawless; 4+ current references | Minor APA errors | Basic referencing | Formatting issues | No references |
Sample Student Writing Help
Danny Rivera is at risk for infection related to rare hand washing, playing with a sick peer, frequent face touching, and secondhand smoke exposure as evidenced by N/A (risk diagnosis). Short-term goal: Patient and guardian will verbalize and agree to infection prevention instructions including hand hygiene and respiratory etiquette by end of visit. Interventions include instructing hand washing before eating/after restroom, increasing fluid intake, maintaining smoke-free home, hand sanitizing after coughing, avoiding face touching, and coughing into tissue/sleeve. These measures reduce pathogen contact across multiple transmission routes while promoting respiratory health. Patient education emphasizes collaborative risk factor mitigation for effective prevention (Doenges, Moorhouse, & Murr, 2019, Nurse’s Pocket Guide).
Guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reinforce hand hygiene as primary infection control in pediatric respiratory cases, showing 16-21% URI reduction through proper technique. Danny’s profile matches cohort studies where secondhand smoke triples infection risk in school-age children. Implementing tiered interventions addresses both immediate behaviors and environmental factors systematically.
Students often confuse symptom treatment like cough suppression with risk prevention; focus remains proactive etiology targeting. Compare hydration promotion against pharmacotherapy—non-medical approaches suit risk diagnoses better per NANDA-I prioritization. Australian College of Nursing standards mandate guardian involvement for home-based interventions, especially tobacco exposure where compliance averages 60% initially.
References
- Doenges, M. E., Moorhouse, M. F., & Murr, A. C. (2019). Nurse’s pocket guide: Diagnoses, prioritized interventions, and rationales (16th ed.). F.A. Davis Company. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-66616-5
- Herdman, T. H., & Kamitsuru, S. (Eds.). (2018). Nursing diagnoses: Definitions and classification 2018-2020. Thieme Medical Publishers.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2023). Hand hygiene in healthcare settings. https://www.cdc.gov/handhygiene/index.html
- Patrick, M. L., et al. (2020). Secondhand smoke exposure and respiratory infections in children. Pediatrics, 146(4), e20200183. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2020-0183
- World Health Organization. (2022). Cough etiquette and respiratory hygiene. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/WHO-CDS-EPR-2007.5
- Shadow Health Cough Exam Care Plan Danny Rivera
- How to Complete Risk for Infection Care Plan
- Develop a 1,200–1,500 word nursing care plan for Shadow Health Focused Exam: Cough using NANDA-I diagnosis for Danny Rivera’s infection risk.
- Write a 3-4 page pediatric care plan addressing cough risk factors, interventions, and evaluation per Shadow Health rubric.
- Create NANDA risk for infection diagnosis and interventions for Danny Rivera cough simulation.
Assessment: Week 8 – Pediatric Asthma Simulation
Course: NURS 301
Task: Develop SOAP note and management plan for 6-year-old with acute asthma exacerbation (1,000-1,200 words, 20%).
Analyze respiratory assessment data, prescribe bronchodilators per guidelines, educate on trigger avoidance and inhaler technique. Include family-centered interventions and 72-hour follow-up criteria.