Deck 2: Clarity and Safety in Communication

Question 1

A nurse manager is teaching a group of nurses about patient safety. The nurse manager teaches the nurses that safety is defined as "avoidance, prevention, and amelioration of adverse outcomes or injuries stemming from the process of health care itself." What is the source of this definition?

A) Hippocratic oath
B) National Patient Safety Foundation
C) American Association of Colleges of Nursing
D) American Nurses Association's Code of Ethics

Answer 1

National Patient Safety Foundation

Question 2

The nurse is caring for a patient who is becoming increasingly short of breath. The nurse decides to call the physician. Which of the following should the nurse initially do when speaking with the physician?

A) State the problem
B) Tell what is needed
C) State the patient's allergies
D) Relate the patient's background

Answer 2

State the problem

Question 3

When communicating with a patient's physician, the nurse suggests ordering a STAT chest X-ray for a patient who is experiencing dyspnea. This is an example of which component of the SBAR format for communicating with the patient's physician?

A) Situation
B) Assessment
C) Background
D) Recommendation

Answer 3

Recommendation

Question 4

What tool for safer care is designed to increase cognitive decision-making skills, increase technical proficiency, and enhance teamwork, including communication skills?

A) Clinical situation simulations
B) SBAR
C) Checklists
D) Team training models

Question 5

A nurse attends an in-service aimed to educate staff about reporting hospital errors. The nurse demonstrates understanding when listing which of the following as being NOT consistent with creating a culture of safety?

A) Creating a way to advise and compensate harmed patients
B) Supporting care providers after adverse events
C) Ensuring the negative consequences of disclosing errors serve as a guide
D) Installing a nonpunative reporting system

Question 6

When calling a healthcare provider, the nurse provides name, what unit and what hospital the call is being made from, the patient's name, and that the patient is having trouble breathing. The nurse is demonstrating which step in the SBAR format for communicating with a patient's physician?

A) Situation
B) Assessment
C) Background
D) Recommendation

Question 7

When using the acronym "I PASS the BATON," the nurse demonstrates understanding by beginning with an introduction; then stating the patient's name, identifiers, age, sex, and location; then discussing the assessment of the patient; and then talking about

A) safety concerns related to the patient.
B) the situation, including current status.
C) a summary of the patient's medications.
D) a synopsis of the patient's psychosocial needs.

Question 8

The nurse manager sets a goal to establish a new safety culture on a hospital unit. The nurse manager recognizes that basic components in establishing a new safety culture include

A) support of effective health care teamwork.
B) encouragement of individualism.
C) discouragement of new concepts.
D) promotion of a hierarchical system.

Question 9

A student nurse is learning about how to reduce errors and increase safety. The nursing instructor recognizes that further teaching is warranted when the student nurse states which of the following?

A) "When communicating with patients, I will be clear."
B) "I will be timely in my communication with patients."
C) "I will promote communication with patients that is ambiguous."
D) "When communicating with patients, I will ensure the patient understood."

Question 10

When a night shift nurse completes a shift, she gives a report about her patients to the oncoming day shift nurse. When beginning the report, the night shift nurse introduces herself and states her role, states the patient's name, identifiers, age, sex, and location. Which of the following should the nurse do next?

A) State critical lab reports, allergies, and alerts
B) List current medications and patient's family history
C) Talk about any anticipated changes in the plan of care
D) Relate patient's chief complaint, vital signs, symptoms, and diagnosis

Question 11

The nurse is teaching the student nurse about how to use SBAR when calling a physician. The student nurse verbalizes understanding of SBAR when stating that SBAR is

A) used as a situational briefing.
B) utilized strictly within the hospital setting.
C) not used in e-mails due to HIPAA rules.
D) never recorded within the patient's chart.

Question 12

When educating staff about how to reduce errors and increase safety, the nurse manager emphasizes the importance of communication that is

A) clear.
B) vague.
C) timely.
D) accurate.
E) unambiguous.

Question 13

When educating a newly diagnosed patient about management of diabetes mellitus, the nurse recognizes that health care-related communication

A) does not lead to errors within the hospital.
B) is generally well understood by most patients.
C) is not an important component of patient care.
D) can cause patients to misunderstand information.

Question 14

When working on a nursing unit, the nurse recognizes that incomplete communication errors most often occur during

A) staff meetings.
B) the night shift.
C) a handoff procedure.
D) medication administration.

Question 15

The nurse manager is educating the unit staff about ways to promote safer clinical practice. The nurse manager emphasizes that this can be done through the incorporation of which of the following?

A) Correlation
B) Cooperation
C) Collaboration
D) Cultural sensitivity
E) Communication clarity

Question 16

A nurse recognizes that strategies for clear, accurate communication to promote patient safety include which of the following?

A) Establishing a safe environment
B) Maintaining a climate of closed communication
C) Using unique interdisciplinary communication tools
D) Using communication tools that promote vague communication

Question 17

When educating a student nurse about safety communication improvement solutions, the nursing instructor recognizes that additional teaching is warranted when the student nurse lists which of the following as a safety communication improvement solution?

A) Adopting technology-oriented tools
B) Using standardized verbal and electronic communication tools
C) Disempowering patients to be partners in safer care
D) Participating in team training communication seminars

Question 18

A nurse manager reminds staff that if an adverse event occurs, everyone's focus needs to be on

A) how the aviation industry would handle things.
B) correcting system flaws to avoid future events.
C) the fact that only a tiny fraction of unsafe care incidents are reported.
D) determining what staff member(s) made the error.

Question 19

When conducting an in-service on serious medical errors, the nurse teaches that nearly 70% of sentinel events are related to

A) lack of education.
B) inadequate resources.
C) minimal rest periods.
D) miscommunication.