William, a 4 year old boy is crying since morning. You
get a call from the mother regarding this. As a medical assistant,
you advice her to get the child to the clinic for observation.
Meanwhile you can advice the mother to ----
- Give acetaminophen or ibuprofen containing drug . Ask
for the weight of the child and prescribe this over counter
medication which will be around 250 mg ( 5 ml or 6 ml) per
orally.
- Get the child to the clinic.
In the clinic ----
- Check for the vital signs.
- Check ear for any pus or discharge to rule out for
infection.
- Palpate abdomen for any hardness and rebound tenderness to rule
out appendicitis.
- If the child is better after sometime , he can go home.
- Let the child be observed for a day or two. If there is pain
again , diagnostic tests has to be done like ultrasound abdomen
.
Thank you.