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Qatar DHP Paediatric Nursing Practice Questions
Paediatric questions test normal development, the sick child, dehydration and common childhood illnesses, plus weight-based medication safety. Below are 5 free sample questions for the Qatar DHP (QCHP) nursing qualifying exam, each with the answer and a rationale.
What this topic covers
- Growth and development milestones
- Paediatric vital signs and pain scales
- Dehydration and oral rehydration
- Croup, bronchiolitis and epiglottitis
- Febrile seizures
- Child safety and safeguarding
The full bank has 90 paediatric nursing questions, part of 1,500 questions across 16 nursing topics.
Free Qatar DHP paediatric nursing questions
1. A 10-year-old with type 1 diabetes at school is shaky and sweaty. Blood glucose is 3.2 mmol/L (58 mg/dL) and the child is alert and able to swallow. What should the nurse do first?
- A. Give a fast-acting carbohydrate such as fruit juice
- B. Give the child's usual dose of insulin
- C. Let the child rest and recheck glucose in 1 hour
- D. Give intramuscular glucagon
Show answer and rationale
A conscious child with hypoglycaemia should take about 15 g of fast-acting carbohydrate, with glucose rechecked in 15 minutes. Glucagon is reserved for a child who cannot safely swallow, and insulin would worsen hypoglycaemia.
Reference: ISPAD – hypoglycaemia in children with diabetes
2. A nurse is taking a health history from a 15-year-old who has come to the clinic with a parent. Which approach is most appropriate?
- A. Interview the adolescent with the parent present at all times
- B. Direct all questions to the parent for accuracy
- C. Use simple picture cards to explain each question
- D. Offer the adolescent time to talk privately without the parent present
Show answer and rationale
Adolescents value privacy and are more likely to share sensitive information when interviewed alone, so part of the interview should be done without the parent. Directing questions only to the parent ignores the adolescent's growing independence.
Reference: Wong's Nursing Care of Infants and Children – adolescent health assessment
3. A parent reports that 24 hours after a vaccination their child has redness and mild swelling at the injection site and a temperature of 38 °C. What is the nurse's best response?
- A. Report this as a contraindication to future vaccines
- B. Explain this is a common reaction; a cool compress and an antipyretic may help
- C. Advise applying heat and massaging the site firmly
- D. Advise going to the emergency department immediately
Show answer and rationale
Local redness, swelling and low-grade fever are common, self-limiting vaccine reactions managed with a cool compress and an antipyretic if needed. They are not contraindications to further doses.
Reference: CDC – vaccine side effects
4. Which finding in a newborn should make the nurse suspect Hirschsprung disease?
- A. Passes meconium within 12 hours of birth
- B. Excessive drooling and choking with feeds
- C. Projectile vomiting beginning at 4 weeks
- D. Fails to pass meconium within 48 hours of birth
Show answer and rationale
Absence of ganglion cells in the distal bowel prevents peristalsis, so failure to pass meconium within 24 to 48 hours is a classic sign. Projectile vomiting suggests pyloric stenosis and drooling with choking suggests oesophageal atresia.
Reference: Wong's Nursing Care of Infants and Children – Hirschsprung disease
5. Which finding should raise the greatest concern for possible physical abuse?
- A. Patterned bruising on the back of a 6-month-old infant
- B. A bump on the forehead of a 14-month-old learning to walk
- C. Bruises on the shins of an active 4-year-old
- D. A scraped knee on a 7-year-old after falling off a bicycle
Show answer and rationale
Bruising in a non-mobile infant, especially patterned bruising or bruising on protected areas such as the back, is a strong warning sign of abuse. Bruises over bony areas such as shins and foreheads are common accidental injuries in mobile children.
Reference: Wong's Nursing Care of Infants and Children – child maltreatment
Study tip
Never examine the throat of a child with suspected epiglottitis. It is a classic exam trap.
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