Case Scenario: Infant
Gender: Female
Age 8 months old
Setting : Hospital
Ethnicity : White American
Psychosocial: Single teenage mother, Family history of abuse
Legal: Mandatory reporting
Ethical: Suspected abuse
Client Profile
Kyla is an 8-month-old infant who lives with her mother,grandmother, and great grandmother in Cincinnati, Ohio. Her mother,Sierra, is a 16-year-old who stopped going to school after shebecame pregnant by her on-again, off-again 18-year-old boyfriend,Kyle, who visits Sierra but shows no interest in Kyla. Hefrequently becomes annoyed and leaves when Kyla needs to be fed orhave her diapers changed. Sierra’s father was very abusive to bothSierra and her mother as Sierra was growing up. He died 6 monthsago as a result of a knife wound that occurred during a fight at alocal tavern. He and Sierra’s mother lived together with their fivechildren and when he worked, he worked for a minimum wage thatbarely fed his family. Kyla’s aunts and uncles (Sierra’s threesisters and one brother) keep in contact with their mother andsister, but are busy with their own lives and families. AlthoughSierra participates in Kyla’s care, her mother is the stablecaregiver when she is not working. The relationship between Sierraand her mother has been strained since Sierra became pregnant andfrequently the two engage in heated arguments over the increasedfinancial stress related to Kyla’s needs and Sierra’s refusal toseek employment. Sierra’s grandmother is in poor health andrequires frequent visits to the emergency room as a result ofunstable angina.
Case Study
At 2135 hours, Kyla is brought wrapped in a bath towel by hergrandmother to the emergency department at the local hospital. Theadmitting nurse observes that Kyla is crying vigorously and isunable to be consoled. She is in no apparent respiratory distress.According to the grandmother, Kyle came over to see Sierra whileKyla’s grandmother was out at the grocery store. When she returned,Kyla was screaming. Sierra said that she and Kyle were talking andKyla “got real fussy, so we decided to give her a bath to get herto quiet down, but she just kept screaming.” Kyla’s grandmotherwrapped Kyla in a bath towel and brought her to the hospitalbecause she thought that she was sick because “she was so red.” Onfurther assessment the nurse notes that Kyla has blisters on herfeet, lower legs, and buttocks, and bruises on her upper arms. Thehealth care provider examines Kyla and arranges for her to betransferred by AirFlight to Cincinnati Shriners’ Hospital to beadmitted with second-degree burns of her buttocks, genitalia, legs,and feet. Health care providers at the burn center estimate Kyla’sburns as 34% of her total body surface area (TBSA) using the“Estimation of the Extent of Burns in Children” chart. AlthoughSierra calls every other day to ask about Kyla’s condition, shedoesn’t visit her daughter. Kyla’s grandmother stays at thehospital with Kyla.
1. Discuss you feelings about child abuse and how you would feelif you were a nurse caring for Kyla in this situation. fourhundread words please if not dont do it
