| Course | DNP 645 Management of Common Problems in Pediatric Primary Care |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 1 |
| Paper type | Hosted case study thread (host case, differential table and management plan) |
| Length | About 489 words |
| Format | Discussion post with APA 7 citations |
| School | Arizona State University |
| Program | Doctor of Nursing Practice |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for DNP 645 Module 1
Case Study 1: Patchy Hair Loss and Black Dots on the Scalp
Black Dots on a Scaly Patch: A Hosted Case Study on Tinea Capitis in a 6-Year-Old, From Differential Table to Oral Therapy
Host Post: The Case
D., a 6-year-old boy, has a round, itchy patch of hair loss on the back of his scalp that his mother first noticed four weeks ago. An over-the-counter antifungal cream has not helped. On examination there is a 3 cm scaly patch of alopecia with broken hairs at the scalp surface that look like black dots, and a tender, enlarged posterior cervical node.
Subjective Questions and Host Answers
Does anyone else at home have a rash or hair loss? A 9-year-old sister has a scaly ring on her arm. Pets? A new kitten. Fever, other rashes or nail changes? No. Any hair products, braiding or pulling habits? No tight hairstyles; he does not pull at his hair. Medications or allergies? None.
Differential Diagnosis Table
| Diagnosis | Supporting details | Missing details |
|---|---|---|
| Tinea capitis | Scaly alopecia, black dots, posterior node, affected sibling, kitten | None |
| Alopecia areata | Round patch of hair loss | Scale, itch, broken hairs, node; alopecia areata is smooth with exclamation-point hairs |
| Seborrheic dermatitis | Scale | Hair loss with broken hairs; seborrhea is diffuse and greasy |
| Trichotillomania | Patch of hair loss with broken hairs | Scale, node, contact exposure, any pulling history |
| Traction alopecia | Hair loss | Tight hairstyles; margins rather than a round patch |
Management Plan
Most probable diagnosis: tinea capitis, likely black-dot type, with a zoophilic source possible from the kitten.
Testing: Confirm with potassium hydroxide preparation of plucked hairs or scale and send a fungal culture, which identifies the organism and guides drug choice. Treatment should not wait for culture results when the presentation is typical.
Treatment: Topical antifungals do not penetrate the hair shaft and cannot cure tinea capitis; oral therapy is required. Griseofulvin, taken with fatty food for 6 to 8 weeks or longer, is effective for both Trichophyton and Microsporum species; terbinafine for 4 weeks is effective for Trichophyton tonsurans, the most common cause in the United States, and its shorter course can help adherence (Fuller et al., 2014). Adjunctive ketoconazole or selenium sulfide shampoo two to three times a week reduces shedding of spores for the child and household.
Supporting article: A Cochrane systematic review of randomized trials found terbinafine and griseofulvin similarly effective overall, with terbinafine better for Trichophyton and griseofulvin better for Microsporum infections (Chen et al., 2016).
Anticipatory guidance: D. can attend school once treatment and the medicated shampoo begin (Kimberlin et al., 2024). Do not share combs, hats or pillows; wash them in hot water. Examine and treat household members, including the sister's arm, and have the kitten seen by a veterinarian.
Family websites: HealthyChildren.org pages on ringworm and the American Academy of Dermatology patient page on tinea capitis.
Follow-up: Recheck at 4 weeks and continue therapy until hair regrowth and, where available, a negative repeat culture; return sooner for a boggy, painful swelling suggesting a kerion.
References
Chen, X., Jiang, X., Yang, M., Gonzalez, U., Lin, X., Hua, X., Xue, S., Zhang, M., & Bennett, C. (2016). Systemic antifungal therapy for tinea capitis in children. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2016(5), Article CD004685. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD004685.pub3
Fuller, L. C., Barton, R. C., Mohd Mustapa, M. F., Proudfoot, L. E., Punjabi, S. P., & Higgins, E. M. (2014). British Association of Dermatologists' guidelines for the management of tinea capitis 2014. British Journal of Dermatology, 171(3), 454-463. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjd.13196
Kimberlin, D. W., Banerjee, R., Barnett, E. D., Lynfield, R., & Sawyer, M. H. (Eds.). (2024). Red Book: 2024-2027 report of the Committee on Infectious Diseases (33rd ed.). American Academy of Pediatrics.
What the DNP 645 Module 1 instructions ask for
Dermatologic disorders open the DNP 645 case series in Week 3, after the first immersion on infectious diseases and fever. The hosted format gives every student a defined job for the week. A pair that signed up to host posts a case on Sunday and hands out roles; question askers then probe for missing history over the first two days; a second pair lays out five candidate diagnoses midweek, flagging which case facts each one accounts for; a third pair writes the plan, attaching a high-level article as a PDF and adding parent resources and follow-up. Skin cases reward precise description, so expect the lesion's morphology, distribution and the patient's contacts to drive the discussion. The case is worth 10 points.
Inside the DNP 645 Module 1 example
Rather than a single post, the sample reproduces a full case week. The host post gives the presenting history and examination in a few lines. The subjective section shows questions a pair would ask and the host's answers, each chosen because it changes the differential, such as household contacts and pets. The differential table lists five diagnoses with the case details present and absent for each, in the format the syllabus asks for. The management post names the most probable diagnosis and covers testing, oral therapy with the choice between two drugs, an adjunctive shampoo, a Cochrane review as the supporting article, school and household guidance, family websites and follow-up with a warning sign. Margin notes mark the table and the plan.
DNP 645 Module 1 rubric: what earns full marks
Canvas lists the criteria used to score each hosted week, and Case Study 1 is worth 10 points toward the 30% that the five cases carry. For a skin case, graders usually look for questions that uncover exposures and household spread, a differential that separates look-alike rashes or alopecias on specific features, and a plan that names the drug, dose, length of therapy and the reason a topical alone will or will not work. A supporting article at Level I or II should address the treatment chosen, ideally a systematic review or randomized trial. Hosts are graded on a clear case and prompt answers, and every pair benefits from staying active after its own post.
DNP 645 Module 1 help from the desk
Dermatology plans often fail on duration: oral antifungals, for example, run for weeks, and the post should say how long and how the family will know to stop. Describe the lesion in dermatologic terms rather than calling it a rash. In the differential, give at least one absent finding for every diagnosis except the one you favor. Think about the household, the classroom and pets, since contacts change the plan. Pick parent resources from professional societies. If your role is question asker, ask questions whose answers would change the leading diagnosis. Send the desk the host's case and your role if you want a second look at your post before it goes up.
Write yours, or have the desk draft it
This paper is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Arizona State University document. Read it for the moves, then write your own to the instructions in your classroom. If you want one built to your exact prompt and rubric, the first custom sample is free and arrives in 24 to 48 hours.
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DNP 645 Module 1 questions, answered
Where can I find a free DNP 645 Module 1 sample paper?
A full DNP 645 Module 1 sample is on this page: a hosted dermatology case study on tinea capitis in a 6-year-old, with the differential table and management plan.
How do DNP 645 case studies work?
A host pair posts a case on Sunday and assigns roles: subjective question askers, differential diagnosis developers with a five-diagnosis table and management plan developers.
Why does tinea capitis need oral treatment?
The fungus lives inside the hair shaft, where creams cannot reach it, so oral griseofulvin or terbinafine is required, often with a medicated shampoo.
What goes in the DNP 645 differential diagnosis table?
Five plausible diagnoses based on the case, each marked for whether the case details are present, so the group can see which fit best.
How much are DNP 645 case studies worth?
Each hosted case earns up to 10 points, and the five of them account for 30% of the course grade.