Exam question on scabies

[pinkiepie_RN]

On my pediatrics exam today, there was a question that caught me off guard. Maybe you guys can help.

A nurse is caring for a child who is suspected of having scabies. Which should the nurse do?

A.) carefully examine the skin

B.) use a magnifying glass

C.) wear gloves

I put A.) because wearing gloves is a given for doing a skin examination if you don't know what you're getting into. If a child is suspected of having scabies, the child is going to have lesions of some sort and you wouldn't touch that skin without gloves. Anyone else?

[TakeTwoAspirin, MSN, RN, APRN]

B. Scabies are actually paracites that can be seen with a magnifying glass giving you a pretty quick Dx.

[bimmersbabe]

I personally with that info would have said c - wear gloves because they do spread. Maslows - safety.

In order to see the scabies you actually need to do a scrapping of the skin, that the nurse might do - but I think the physician would look through the microscope at the slide. If it is scabies the rash is obvious so I am not sure about the careful examination of the skin.

This is a good question and I look forward to knowing what the correct answer was.

[TakeTwoAspirin, MSN, RN, APRN]

You know, I think you are right. I read the question again and it did say "caring for" rather than assessing for which would/could make a big difference.

[RNDreamer]

I would have chosen c: wear gloves

[loricatus]

Suspected scabies requires contact isolation. You aren't going to go near the patient without some form of barrier between you and their skin; so, gloves should be the correct answer.

Personally, I would be putting on a lot more than gloves. Caught them once from a patient and they aren't fun having.

Just started to itch thinking about it-----YUCKKKKKK

[Daytonite, BSN, RN]

a nurse is caring for a child who is suspected of having scabies. which should the nurse do?

a.) carefully examine the skin

b.) use a magnifying glass

c.) wear gloves

i've gotten scabies twice working with clients. you can't see them. they burrow under the skin. if you know they have them, wear gloves.

[Alternator81]

c.) wear gloves

i've gotten scabies twice working with clients. you can't see them. they burrow under the skin. if you know they have them, wear gloves.

i agree-- definitively priority is to wear gloves because it is communicable.

[MB37]

Definitely C. The child is already "suspected of" having scabies, so there's no need for the nurse to attempt to give him/her a medical diagnosis. That's the physician's job. The nurse needs to care for the pt's needs, and when doing should wear gloves to try to prevent spreading it to other pts/herself.

[pinkiepie_RN]

Definitely C. The child is already "suspected of" having scabies, so there's no need for the nurse to attempt to give him/her a medical diagnosis. That's the physician's job. The nurse needs to care for the pt's needs, and when doing should wear gloves to try to prevent spreading it to other pts/herself.

Thanks! I definitely understand where I went wrong with this question. That's a really good explanation.

[MollyMel]

Hi, I'm curious...

In our book it says Scabies is transmitted through extended contact with the infected person, as in housemates, sexual partners etc. but not through casual contact such as handshakes. I personally had always believed that it was more aggressive than that. If you can catch it from a patient then I am right. I guess a 12 hr nursing shift might be considered "extended contact" lol.

The people I have known who had scabies were miserable, it sounds like a special level of hell and I definitely have no interest in experiencing it for myself.