Assessing young children, especially those
that are miserable and non-compliant, can
be challenging and sometimes distressing for
all concerned. However, recording baseline
observations is essential (Royal College of
Nursing (RCN) 2013a, 2013b) and the nurse
will need to identify strategies to deal with
difficult and unco-operative children. Unless
it is a life-threatening situation, an unwilling
young child should never be removed from his
or her parents or carer because this can cause
further upset and anxiety. Parents and carers
can offer invaluable support and comfort to the
child. They know their child’s idiosyncrasies
and can help the nurse by reassuring, cuddling,
playing with or distracting the child. If the
child has pyrexia, the parent or carer should be
encouraged to remove some, although not all,
of the child’s clothing to allow heat to radiate
out. Tepid sponging or bathing in cool water
should not be done as this does not reduce
prostaglandins and is likely to induce shivering
and cause further distress (Sharber 1997, RCN
2013a). Other advice for managing fever is
described in Table 2