Which client should the nurse place in the room with a 6 year old with glomerulonephritis?

• A. Twenty-two month old diagnosed with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)
• B. Four year old with nephrotic syndrome
• C. Three year old admitted with febrile seizures
• D. Two year old who has a fractured tibia

Answer: (B)

The important idea here is infection control and matching roommates by contagiousness and care needs. Glomerulonephritis in a child isn’t a contagious disease, so the roommate should be someone with a noninfectious condition or a similar noncontagious medical issue. A child with nephrotic syndrome fits that: the illness is also kidney-related and not typically contagious, so it minimizes the risk of transmitting infections to the glomerulonephritis patient while aligning their care needs (edema monitoring, fluid balance, daily weights, BP checks).

In contrast, a toddler with RSV carries a contagious respiratory virus, which you’d want to isolate from an immunocompromising or medically fragile patient. A child with febrile seizures could be ill from an infectious process, introducing potential contagion, and a child with a fractured tibia has a noninfectious injury that doesn’t share the same kidney-care needs. So the most appropriate roommate is the four-year-old with nephrotic syndrome.