Pediatric Primary Care Foundation

Sample Answer

Healthcare professionals such as nurses play a significant role in patients’ lives since they offer treatment and management of various diseases and the necessary support required. While it is easier to formulate treatment plans for adults since they can say exactly what they feel, the same cannot be said for children, as they have less insight. Nonetheless, it is essential to incorporate the patient and family’s beliefs into the treatment of a child (Perry et al.,2022).

Incorporating such beliefs has the potential to improve care outcomes as the patient and the family are more likely to participate in the care activities and improve their chances of getting better. This discussion focuses on a child whose family believes in natural therapy for illness. The discussion particularly focuses on a case where the child has an upper respiratory infection and a case where the patient has leukemia.

It is important to note that natural therapy for illnesses, such as heat treatments, massage, and diet therapy, among others, are rarely considered the first line of treatment for conditions such as acute upper respiratory infection. However, since the family believes in such remedies, it is important to deal with this case while taking into consideration aspects such as the need to collaborate, respect, and be sensitive to the issue. Taking such aspects into consideration will ensure that the family’s beliefs are taken into consideration when formulating plans.

While it is important to discuss with the family members the importance of pharmacotherapy approaches, it is also vital to offer the patient and the family members education on how they can best use diet therapy. An aspect is making them no why it is important to use a balanced diet when they decide to consider diet therapy (de Araújo Morais et al.,2021). One important aspect would be to guide them on specific foods, such as herbal tea and warm soup, which can help reduce the symptoms experienced in acute upper respiratory infections.

It is also important to let the family members know how best to use heat treatments and uphold safety standards. For example, the use of warm compresses and inhaling steam can help relieve the congestion that may come with respiratory infection. While massage can help in various ways, it can only be effective when used in the right way. As such, it is important to let the family have an idea regarding the key role played by gentle massage in easing muscle tension and promoting relaxation.

They need to know how to perform massage through soothing and gentle strokes to prevent potential harm. The family may also be leaning towards using herbal remedies. It is important to guide them that, while herbal remedies can be important, they should only use those remedies with proven doses and are safe to be used by the child (Chaugule & Barve, 2024). The family should also know of potential drug interactions that may cause further harm to the child.

Creating and maintaining a therapeutic relationship and ensuring that the communication is open and transparent is an important aspect during this process, as it will help the family to support the best approach for their child having a chronic upper respiratory infection. A similar approach should be used in the case where the patient has leukemia, expect that a different approach should be in references to application of heat treatments.

For instance, it is important to let the family know that approaches such as heat treatment do not directly improve a patient having conditions such as leukemia. However, they can help offer relaxation, especially in the face of pain resulting from leukemia. It is vital guide this family in every step of a child’s illness for better outcomes (Perry et al., 2022).

References

• Chaughule, R. S., & Barve, R. S. (2024). Role of herbal medicines in the treatment of infectious diseases. Vegetos, 37(1), 41-51. Doi 10.1007/s42535-022-00549-2
• de Araújo Morais, A. H., de Souza Aquino, J., da Silva-Maia, J. K., de Lima Vale, S. H., Maciel, B. L. L., & Passos, T. S. (2021). Nutritional status, diet and viral respiratory infections perspectives for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. British Journal of Nutrition, 125(8), 851-862. Doi 10.1017/S0007114520003311
• Perry, S. E., Hockenberry, M. J., Cashion, K., Alden, K. R., Olshansky, E., & Lowdermilk, D. L. (2022). Maternal Child Nursing Care-E-Book Maternal Child Nursing Care-E-Book. Elsevier Health Sciences.