title: Assessment of abdominal pain in school-age children.
abstract: Pediatric abdominal pain can be a difficult condition to accurately assess for the nurse to determine whether the child's need is for teaching, treating, or transferring. This article describes the process as well as practical tips to be used by the nurse in the school setting. Distinguishing characteristics and findings, including key physical assessments, of some of the most frequent or most important conditions are described. Atypical, but not to be overlooked, causes are also discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing, Harry S. Truman College, Chicago, IL, USA.
authors.forename: Polly Gerber
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Zimmermann
mesh_terms: D015746:Abdominal Pain / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000451:nursing*; D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005767:Gastrointestinal Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000451:nursing*; D006801:Humans; D009730:Nursing Assessment / Q000379:methods; D010808:Physical Examination / Q000451:nursing; D012573:School Nursing / Q000379:methods*