Pre-School Children Frequently Seen But Seldom Heard in Nursing Care (Report‪)‬

Introduction The importance of hearing children's voices in health care is evident in the following example from my experience as a registered nurse caring for a primary school aged child admitted for elective surgery. While completing a routine preoperative checklist with a child (approximately 8-years-old) and his mother, I asked the mother whether the child was allergic to anything. The mother said "no", but the child interrupted saying something like "what about at the party when I was blowing up the balloon?" The mother shrugged off the child's comment as not important. However, I asked the child to tell me more, and he mentioned having tingly lips after blowing up a balloon. I explained to the mother and the child the possible significance of the tingly lips as a sign of an allergy to latex. The anaesthetist was informed; precautions against exposure to latex were taken during the operation and the remainder of the child's stay in hospital. Subsequent testing confirmed the child had a latex allergy. This incident highlights the potential benefits of ensuring children's voices are heard and given due weight in their health care.