Teaching Plan for Patients with Pediatric Conjunctivitis - Essay Example

On the other hand, a bacterial infection is indicated by a purulent discharge (Gigliotti, 354). Allergic conjunctivitis in late childhood and adolescence is considered a symptom of eczema, asthma, or rhinitis.

Treatment of conjunctivitis starts with the identification of the root cause of the infection to ensure that effective medication is administered. In addition, the treatment of infants depends on the time the child develops the infection. For instance, if the infection develops within the first 24 hours it is considered to have been caused by a chemical reaction with the drugs that were used (Gigliotti, 356).

The long-term goal is to develop awareness among parents to be able to identify the symptoms early enough and seek medical attention to prevent the negative effects of conjunctivitis.

The goal will be achieved by:
- Seeking medical attention.
- To relieve symptoms and ensure treatment of the infection.
- Ensure that the infant is not at risk of more serious infections.
- Preventing the spread of the disease to other people.
- Preventing the complications associated with conjunctivitis

Home remedies:
 -Compress the eyelids with cool or warm water for 15 minutes.
- Maintain body hygiene by washing hands and avoiding sharing facecloths and towels.

Pharmacological interventions:
- Ensure that drugs are administered effectively depending on the age of the child.
- Advise the parents not to use steroid eye drops because they may cause permanent damage to the infant.
- Bacterial conjunctivitis is treated through topical antibiotic ointment.
- Viral conjunctivitis symptoms can be relieved through saline washes.
- Allergic irritating symptoms can be relieved through saline washes and cool compresses.
- If the symptoms are persistent and severe, oral antihistamines can be administered to the infant.

A study to compare the prevalence of conjunctivitis between Asian and White patients was carried out from pediatric records from a health center in the city of Bradford. The patients chosen for the study had symptoms of chronic conjunctivitis to eliminate the possibility of inclusion of patients suffering from allergic irritations. The study considered the medical records of 43 patients, 11 Whites and 24 Asians under the age of four years. The study indicated that conjunctivitis affected 59 of every 100, 000 Asians and 12 of every 100,000 Whites. Although the prevalence of sex in both groups was small, male children were two times more likely to be infected. Two Asian children lost their sight upon developing chronic conjunctivitis. According to Spraul and Lang (23), conjunctivitis is more prevalent in the Asian population as compared to the Whites probably because of environmental and genetic factors. The blindness threat indicates that Asians are more likely to require steroid topical treatment as compared to their white counterparts.

Anticipated client outcomes:
- Parents should seek advice on the condition upon noticing conjunctivitis symptoms in their infants.
- Upon the diagnosis, parents should be aware of the period of treatment and expected changes in the course of treatment.
- Caregivers should adhere to physicians' advice on dosage and frequency to ensure medication effectiveness.
- Caregivers should maintain hygiene to avoid contamination of medication tubes and bottles.
- There should be no sharing of eye ointments and medications.
- Measures should be put in place to prevent the spread of conjunctivitis from the infant to other members of the family.

Each group will contain no more than 10 patients and Classes will be held at least once a week. The patient's infants involved should have been diagnosed with conjunctivitis either with allergies, or viral, and bacterial etiology. Currently, they are on prescribed ointment and medications to relieve the symptoms and treat their infections. Some caregivers fail to give the right dosage to the infants and in other cases, the infections have been worsened by poor hygiene.

A PowerPoint on conjunctivitis definition, signs/symptoms, causes, risk factors, complications, lifestyle modifications, coping/support, and treatment will be presented. Pamphlets will be distributed as a way to reinforce this teaching and feedback from the patients. The pamphlets will include website information for patient education, support group, telephone numbers, and e-mail of medical staff for any concerns or questions.

Parents will be taught how to maintain personal hygiene and suggestions on effective hand wash will be given. Parents will be encouraged to closely monitor changes in the infection symptoms and be taught the proper technique how to alleviate pain, irritation, and discomfort. A log book will be provided to them to record changes in their infant's symptoms. Lastly, they will also be encouraged to buy a pill box as a way to keep track of their medication intake.

Patients will:
- Be asked to explain what they understand of conjunctivitis based on class discussions and the data that was collected through the pamphlets.
- Bring their log books showing evidence that they have adopted lifestyle changes in making hand-washing part of their habit.
- Demonstrate how personal hygiene reduces conjunctivitis infection and spread.
- Internalize the need to seek medical attention immediately to avoid the permanent effects of the disease when it reaches the chronic stage.
- Bring their pill box to indicate the effectiveness in dosage and demonstrate their understanding of its importance

In conclusion, conjunctivitis is common among children and can be a source of great discomfort. Caregivers should learn to seek medical attention immediately once their infants show abnormal signs to avoid adverse effects like blindness and ensure that full treatment is attained.