What Will You Learn?

• Respiratory infections account for the majority of
• acute illness in children. The child’s age and living conditions and the season of the year can influence the etiology of respiratory disorders as well as the course of
• illness. For example, younger children and infants are
• more likely to deteriorate quickly. Lower socioeconomic
• status places children at higher risk for increased severity or increased frequency of disease. Certain viruses are
• more prevalent in the winter, whereas allergen-related
• respiratory diseases are more prevalent in the spring and
• fall. Children with chronic illness such as diabetes, congenital heart disease, sickle cell anemia, and cystic fibrosis and children with developmental disorders such as
• cerebral palsy tend to be more severely affected with respiratory disorders. Parents might have difficulty in
• determining the severity of their child’s condition and
• might either seek care very early in the course of the illness (when it is still very mild) or wait and present to the
• health care setting when the child is very ill.
• Nurses must be familiar with respiratory conditions
• affecting children in order to provide guidance and support to families. When children become ill, families often
• encounter nurses in outpatient settings first. Nurses must
• be able to ask questions that can help determine the severity of the child’s illness and determine whether they must
• seek care at a health facility. Since respiratory illness
• accounts for the majority of pediatric admissions to general hospitals, nurses caring for children require expert
• assessment and intervention skills in this area. Detection
• of worsening respiratory status early in the course of deterioration allows for timely treatment and the possibility
• of preventing a minor problem from becoming a critical
• illness. Difficulty with breathing can be very frightening
• for both the child and parents. The child and the family
• need the nurse’s support throughout the course of a respiratory illness.