A primary care NP sees a child who has honey-crusted lesions with areas of erythema around the nose and mouth.The child's parent has been applying Polysporin ointment for 5 days and reports no improvement in the rash.The NP should prescribe:

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Treatment with a topical antiinfective agent should be reevaluated in 3 to 5 days if there is no improvement.Polysporin ointment is bacteriostatic,not bacteriocidal.Mupirocin is indicated for impetigo caused by Staphylococcus aureus,which is most common in children.Neomycin is an aminoglycoside and is not effective against S.aureus.A systemic antibiotic is not indicated unless the mupirocin fails to treat the infection.Adding a corticosteroid would increase the likelihood that the infection will worsen.

A Primary Care NP Sees a Child Who Has Honey-Crusted