UNFOLDING REASONING CASE STUDY
PEDIATRIC GASTROENTERITIS PRACTICE
QUESTIONS WITH SOLUTIONS 2026
◉ A 3 month old infant is seen in the clinic with the following
symptoms: irritability, crying, refusal to nurse for more than 2-3min,
rhinitis, and a rectal temperature of 101.8F (38.8). The labor,
delivery and postpartum history for this term infant is
unremarkable. The nurse anticipates a diagnosis of:
a. Acute Otitis Media
b. Otitis Media with effusion (OME)
c. Otitis externa
d. Respiratory syncitial virus (RSV). Answer: a.
◉ A child with Croup is placed in a cool mist tent. The mother
becomes concerned because the child is frightened, consistently
crying and trying to climb out of the tent. Which is the most
appropriate nursing action?
1. Tell the mother that the child must stay in the tent.
2. Place a toy in the tent to make the child feel more comfortable
3. Call the health care provider and obtain a prescription for a mild
sedative
,4. Let the mother gold the child and direct the cool mist over the
child's face. Answer: 4.
◉ The mother of a hospitalized 2 year old child with Croup asks the
nurse why the health care provider did not prescribe antibiotics.
Which response should the nurse make?
1. The child may be allergic to antibiotics
2. The child is too young to receive antibiotics
3. Antibiotics are not indicated unless a bacterial infection is present
4. The child still has the maternal antibodies from birth and does not
need antibiotics.. Answer: 3.
◉ An infant has just returned to the nursing unit after surgical
repair of a cleft lip on the right side. The nurse should place the
infant in which best position at this time?
1. Prone position
2. On the stomach
3. Left lateral position
4. Right lateral position. Answer: 3.
◉ Which of the following statements about the inheritance of CF is
most accurate?
1. CF is an autosomal-dominant trait that is passed on from the
child's mother.
,2. CF is an autosomal-dominant trait that is passed on from the
child's father.
3. The child of parents who are both carriers of the gene for CF has a
50% chance of acquiring CF.
4. The child of a mother who has CF and a father who is a carrier of
the gene for CF has a 50% chance of acquiring CF. Answer: 4. If the
child is born to a mother with CF and a father who is a carrier, the
child has a 50% chance of acquiring the disease and a 50% chance of
being a carrier of the disease.
◉ The parent of a 4-month-old with CF asks the nurse what time to
begin the child's first CPT each day. Which is the nurse's best
response?
1. "You should do the first CPT 30 minutes before feeding the child
breakfast."
2. "You should do the first CPT after deep-suctioning the child each
morning."
3. "You should do the first CPT 30 minutes after feeding the child
breakfast."
4. "You should do the first CPT only when the child has congestion or
coughing.". Answer: 1. CPT should be done in the morning prior to
feeding to avoid the risk of the child vomiting
◉ The parent of a 10-month-old with CF asks the nurse how to meet
the child's increased nutritional needs. Which is the nurse's best
suggestion?
, 1. "You may need to increase the number of fresh fruits and
vegetables you give your child each day."
2. "You may need to advance your child's diet to whole cow's milk
because it is higher in fat than formula."
3. "You may need to change your child to a higher-calorie formula."
4. "You may need to increase your child's carbohydrate intake each
day.". Answer: 3. Often infants with CF need to have a higher-calorie
formula to meet their nutritional needs. Infants may also be placed
on hydrolysate formulas that contain added medium-chain
triglycerides.
◉ The parent of an 18-year-old with CF is excited about the
possibility of the child receiving a double lung transplant. What
should the parent understand?
1. The transplant will cure the child of CF and allow the child to lead
a long and healthy life.
2. The transplant will not cure the child of CF but will allow the child
to have a longer life.
3. The transplant will help to reverse the multisystem damage that
has already been caused by CF.
4. The transplant will be the child's only chance at surviving long
enough to graduate college.. Answer: 2. A lung transplant does not
cure CF, but it does offer the patient an opportunity to live a longer
life. The concerns are that, after the lung transplant, the child is at
risk for rejection of the new organ and for development of secondary
infections because of the immunosuppressive therapy.
PEDIATRIC GASTROENTERITIS PRACTICE
QUESTIONS WITH SOLUTIONS 2026
◉ A 3 month old infant is seen in the clinic with the following
symptoms: irritability, crying, refusal to nurse for more than 2-3min,
rhinitis, and a rectal temperature of 101.8F (38.8). The labor,
delivery and postpartum history for this term infant is
unremarkable. The nurse anticipates a diagnosis of:
a. Acute Otitis Media
b. Otitis Media with effusion (OME)
c. Otitis externa
d. Respiratory syncitial virus (RSV). Answer: a.
◉ A child with Croup is placed in a cool mist tent. The mother
becomes concerned because the child is frightened, consistently
crying and trying to climb out of the tent. Which is the most
appropriate nursing action?
1. Tell the mother that the child must stay in the tent.
2. Place a toy in the tent to make the child feel more comfortable
3. Call the health care provider and obtain a prescription for a mild
sedative
,4. Let the mother gold the child and direct the cool mist over the
child's face. Answer: 4.
◉ The mother of a hospitalized 2 year old child with Croup asks the
nurse why the health care provider did not prescribe antibiotics.
Which response should the nurse make?
1. The child may be allergic to antibiotics
2. The child is too young to receive antibiotics
3. Antibiotics are not indicated unless a bacterial infection is present
4. The child still has the maternal antibodies from birth and does not
need antibiotics.. Answer: 3.
◉ An infant has just returned to the nursing unit after surgical
repair of a cleft lip on the right side. The nurse should place the
infant in which best position at this time?
1. Prone position
2. On the stomach
3. Left lateral position
4. Right lateral position. Answer: 3.
◉ Which of the following statements about the inheritance of CF is
most accurate?
1. CF is an autosomal-dominant trait that is passed on from the
child's mother.
,2. CF is an autosomal-dominant trait that is passed on from the
child's father.
3. The child of parents who are both carriers of the gene for CF has a
50% chance of acquiring CF.
4. The child of a mother who has CF and a father who is a carrier of
the gene for CF has a 50% chance of acquiring CF. Answer: 4. If the
child is born to a mother with CF and a father who is a carrier, the
child has a 50% chance of acquiring the disease and a 50% chance of
being a carrier of the disease.
◉ The parent of a 4-month-old with CF asks the nurse what time to
begin the child's first CPT each day. Which is the nurse's best
response?
1. "You should do the first CPT 30 minutes before feeding the child
breakfast."
2. "You should do the first CPT after deep-suctioning the child each
morning."
3. "You should do the first CPT 30 minutes after feeding the child
breakfast."
4. "You should do the first CPT only when the child has congestion or
coughing.". Answer: 1. CPT should be done in the morning prior to
feeding to avoid the risk of the child vomiting
◉ The parent of a 10-month-old with CF asks the nurse how to meet
the child's increased nutritional needs. Which is the nurse's best
suggestion?
, 1. "You may need to increase the number of fresh fruits and
vegetables you give your child each day."
2. "You may need to advance your child's diet to whole cow's milk
because it is higher in fat than formula."
3. "You may need to change your child to a higher-calorie formula."
4. "You may need to increase your child's carbohydrate intake each
day.". Answer: 3. Often infants with CF need to have a higher-calorie
formula to meet their nutritional needs. Infants may also be placed
on hydrolysate formulas that contain added medium-chain
triglycerides.
◉ The parent of an 18-year-old with CF is excited about the
possibility of the child receiving a double lung transplant. What
should the parent understand?
1. The transplant will cure the child of CF and allow the child to lead
a long and healthy life.
2. The transplant will not cure the child of CF but will allow the child
to have a longer life.
3. The transplant will help to reverse the multisystem damage that
has already been caused by CF.
4. The transplant will be the child's only chance at surviving long
enough to graduate college.. Answer: 2. A lung transplant does not
cure CF, but it does offer the patient an opportunity to live a longer
life. The concerns are that, after the lung transplant, the child is at
risk for rejection of the new organ and for development of secondary
infections because of the immunosuppressive therapy.
