A child is diagnosed with bacterial conjunctivitis, a nurse educates the mother to do all, except?

Appeared in: RUHS, Jaipur, M.Sc Nursing Entrance Exam-2019

Explanation

Bacterial conjunctivitis is highly contagious and spreads through direct contact with eye secretions or contaminated objects (fomites).
Sharing personal items like towels and washcloths is a primary mode of transmission.
Therefore, the nurse must explicitly instruct the caregiver NOT to share these items to prevent spreading the infection to other family members.
The question asks for the exception in the nurse's teaching, which is the one action that should not be done.

Option A: This is a correct and necessary instruction. Prescribed antibiotic eye drops are the primary treatment to eliminate the bacterial infection.
Option C: This is a correct instruction. Cleaning the eyes as prescribed (typically from the inner to the outer canthus) removes infectious discharge and crusts, which aids healing and improves comfort.
Option D: This is a correct and crucial instruction. Frequent handwashing is the single most important measure to prevent the spread of the infection to the other eye or to other people.

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: Use the key finding related to Infection control and health education for bacterial conjunctivitis to guide bedside assessment, documentation, and the next nursing action.
A nurse's role in patient and family education is critical to break the chain of infection, especially for highly contagious conditions common in community and school settings.
Emphasizing strict personal hygiene prevents household outbreaks and reduces the child's time away from school.
What if? If the diagnosis was viral conjunctivitis, antibiotic drops would not be effective. However, all other hygiene measures, especially not sharing towels and frequent handwashing, would be equally or even more critical as viral conjunctivitis is also highly contagious.

How to Approach the Question

First, identify that this is a negative question because it uses the word 'except'. This means you are looking for the incorrect action or the piece of advice the nurse should NOT give.
Recall the key principles of managing bacterial conjunctivitis: it's a contagious bacterial infection.
Management involves two main goals: 1) treating the infection (medication) and 2) preventing its spread (hygiene).
Evaluate each option against these goals.
Option A (Give drops) treats the infection. This is a correct instruction.
Option C (Clean eyes) is a correct hygiene measure.

Concept Tested & Keywords

Concept Tested: Infection control and health education for bacterial conjunctivitis.
Stem keywords: bacterial conjunctivitis, nurse educates, mother, child
Lead-in keywords: except
Clinical cues: Age/sex group narrows the expected diagnosis, intervention, or normal reference range.
Negative lead-in flag: Question asks for the exception.

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E6 Nursing Brunner Adult Health 3SA Vol 2 Part 1 pp. 111-113, 112-114

E6 Nursing Fundamentals Potter Perry 12e Part 3 p. 187-189

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