A toddler in the pediatric unit shows symptoms of fever and cough. Which precautions should the nurse implement while awaiting test results?

For a toddler presenting with symptoms such as fever and cough, implementing droplet precautions is the most appropriate course of action while awaiting test results. Droplet precautions are essential in preventing the transmission of infections that can be spread through respiratory droplets when a person coughs, sneezes, or talks.

In this context, the symptoms exhibited by the toddler suggest the possibility of a respiratory infection, which is often associated with pathogens that are transmitted via droplets. By using droplet precautions, healthcare providers can minimize the risk of spreading infectious agents to others in the vicinity, such as other patients and staff.

Contact precautions are designed for infections spread through direct contact; airborne precautions are for diseases that remain suspended in the air over distances; and neutropenic precautions are specific to protecting immunocompromised patients from infections. Since the toddler's primary symptoms are respiratory in nature, droplet precautions are the targeted approach to safeguard everyone while the definitive cause of the symptoms is still being determined.