NURS 6541 Week 4: Evaluation and Management of EENT Conditions

It is the first thing you observe as you meet a young patient—the child’s face: eyes, ears, nose, mouth. So, as this course on primary care shifts from a focus on a child’s whole-body growth and development to specific body structures and systems, it is natural to start with those defining features.

Close observation is among your most important tools in caring for children and adolescents. Eyes, ears, nose, and throat (EENT) exams are all part of a well-child visit. Your knowledge of what is normal and what is not will support you in identifying conditions and disorders that can impact children’s sight and hearing, their normal breathing, and restful sleep.

Assessing and evaluating EENT conditions may require your detective skills of observing, listening, and careful questioning. Or, in cases of injury to eyes, an object in a child’s ear or nose, or an obvious throat issue, the problem and your needed response may be immediately clear. The Learning Resources this week provide knowledge and recommendations for preparing for pediatric patients with a range of possible EENT conditions and emergencies, and for making diagnoses and determining treatments.

Keep in mind the importance of your relationship with parents and guardians. The more you understand about a family and the greater the cooperative bond you form, the more effective the management strategies you can provide.

This week you will further your preparation in all of these aspects of pediatric care as you complete your i-Human Case Study in evaluating and managing EENT conditions.

Learning Objectives

Students will:

Assess pediatric patients for eye, ear, nose, and throat conditions

Evaluate health conditions of pediatric patients

Formulate differential diagnoses for eye, ear, nose, and throat conditions in pediatric patients

Analyze socio-cultural needs of pediatric patients and families

Formulate evidence-based treatment and management plans for eye, ear, nose, and throat conditions in pediatric patients

Recommend evidence-based strategies for educating patients and families on treatment and management of eye, ear, nose, and throat conditions