A patient comes to the primary care clinic complaining of a head cold and ear pain with drainage.What should the nurse suspect this patient is experiencing?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The patient's symptoms of a head cold and ear pain with drainage are indicative of acute otitis media, which is an infection in the middle ear. Otitis externa is an infection of the outer ear canal and would present with pain, redness, and swelling of the ear canal. Hearing loss may occur with acute otitis media, but it is not the primary symptom. Mastoiditis is a complication of acute otitis media, which occurs when the infection spreads to the mastoid bone.

A Patient Comes to the Primary Care Clinic Complaining of a Head