Editing Pediatric Nursing – LPN Practice Questions (section)

==Question 14==
While bathing a 3-year-old, the LPN observes several circular burns of similar size on the child's back, along with bruises in various stages of healing. The parent states the child "fell against the heater." What should the LPN do?
# Confront the parent about the inconsistency between the injuries and the explanation.
# Document the findings objectively and report them to the registered nurse right away.
# Wait to see whether additional injuries appear before saying anything.
# Ask the child directly whether the parent hurt him, in front of the parent.

'''Answer:''' 2. Document the findings objectively and report them to the registered nurse right away.

''Rationale:'' Injuries inconsistent with the reported mechanism, patterned burns, and bruises in different stages of healing are warning signs of maltreatment. Nurses are mandated reporters, and reporting requires suspicion, not proof. The LPN documents observations factually, using the parent's exact words in quotation marks, and reports to the RN so the team can act. Option 1 may escalate the situation and endanger the child. Option 3 delays protection. Option 4 questions the child in front of a possible perpetrator, which is unsafe and can contaminate the investigation.