Question 1

During an annual performance review with an employee, the nurse manager does not maintain eye contact and seems concerned about the time and the next appointment. This use of communication is considered:

Accepted Answer

Listening can be hampered by the listener's lack of interest in the topic, premature interpretation of the message, or preoccupation with practice. The nonverbal cues that accompany the message are essential aspects of verbal communication.

Question 2

In order to provide effective nursing care, the nurse should engage in what type of communication with the client and significant others?

Accepted Answer

Therapeutic communication facilitates interactions focused on the client and the client's concerns. Therapeutic communication is purposive, but this is not a discrete category of communication.

Question 3

Communication is the:

Accepted Answer

Communication is at the heart of nursing.

Question 4

When the nurse communicates with a newly admitted client, the nurse must pay particular attention to nonverbal behaviors. The nurse considers which characteristic as nonverbal communication?

Accepted Answer

A person communicates by gestures, facial expressions, posture, space, appearance, body movement, touch, voice tone and volume, and rate of speech.

Question 5

The term metacommunication is best defined as:

Accepted Answer

Metacommunication is a communication about the client's communication or lack thereof. It is an implicit, but integral, part of the message and is an interpersonal bridge between the verbal and nonverbal components of communication.

Question 6

A nurse communicating with a client states, "I will be changing your dressing." The nurse is wearing sterile gloves and a mask. The nurse is conveying a(an):

Accepted Answer

The communication and protective equipment conveys messages that are congruent.

Question 7

The client responds to the nurse's questions by stating in a loud and abrupt tone, "Yes, I understand my diabetic diet and how to give my insulin." What type of message has the client sent to the nurse?

Accepted Answer

When the nonverbal metacommunication aspects of the message do not fit with the verbal message, the communication is considered incongruent.

Question 8

A nurse is interviewing a client for the establishment of long-term care insurance. During the interview, the nurse asks questions regarding the client's past medical history. The nurse is the:

Accepted Answer

A sender is a person or group with a purpose for the communication.

Question 9

A nurse touches the client's hand while discussing the client's diagnosis. This action is a(an):

Accepted Answer

Communication channel is the carrier of the message; touch can be a channel.

Question 10

While communicating with a patient who is hearing impaired, the nurse must take into account that the impairment serves as a

Accepted Answer

Sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell are filters of the neurologic receptor system. Stimuli processed through these receptor systems enable the person to experience the outside world.

Question 11

When communicating with clients, nurses need to be very careful in their approach. This is particularly true when communicating using:

Accepted Answer

Another filter is the particular language system into which the person is socialized. Nurses are socialized into healthcare or medical jargon. To effectively educate and communicate, the nurse should limit medical jargon.

Question 12

When caring for a client, nursing care will be most effective when the nurse-client communication is based upon:

Accepted Answer

The nurse-client interaction is most productive when communication is aimed toward a common understanding. It is not necessary for the nurse and client to share personalities or values, or even similar beliefs about reality.

Question 13

A nurse enters the client's room and introduces himself stating, "Hello, Mr. Alonso. My name is Anthony Bader. I will be your registered nurse today. I will be providing your nursing care, and I will be with you until 3:30 pm. If you need anything, please call me on my phone or put your light on." The nurse then gives the client a printed card with this information. In the helping relationship, which phase does this represent?

Accepted Answer

The orientation phase consists of introductions and an agreement between the nurse and the client about their mutual roles and responsibilities.

Question 14

When caring for a psychiatric client, a formal contract is made with the client during which phase of the nurse-client relationship?

Accepted Answer

In the psychiatric setting, the orientation phase of the relationship represents the first phase of therapeutic work and involves signing of formal contracts. Formal contracts in this setting are used as a therapeutic tool to help a client develop more insight and control over behavior.

Question 15

Care provided to a client following surgery and until discharge represents which phase of the helping relationship?

Accepted Answer

During the working phase, the nurse and client explore and develop solutions that are enacted and evaluated in subsequent interactions.

Question 16

In the provision of care and the establishment of the therapeutic relationship, the nurse must first:

Accepted Answer

Before a nurse can communicate therapeutically, a comfortable sense of self, such as being aware of one's own personality, values, cultural background, and style of communication, is necessary.

Question 17

When the preoperative client tells the nurse that the client cannot sleep because the client keeps thinking about the surgery, an appropriate reflection of the statement by the nurse is:

Accepted Answer

Reflection means identifying the main emotional themes.

Question 18

The nurse is talking with a client who is thinking about obtaining a second opinion regarding the surgeon's recommendation for surgery. Which response by the nurse is considered an advocacy response?

Accepted Answer

Offering support and further assistance, as well as information, represents an advocacy response. Stating the surgeon is one of the best or advising to get the surgery done as soon as possible are authoritarian responses. Telling the client that the surgeon has always cared for them well is using a guilt response.

Question 19

The 32-year-old client in a mental health unit discusses his personal thoughts and feelings with the nurse. The nurse is maintaining the circle of confidentiality by reporting this information to which individuals? Select all that apply.

Accepted Answer

Unless the client has specifically given permission to provide information to family and friends, this information should remain among individuals on the healthcare team that are directly involved with care of the client.

Question 20

The nurse caring for a client with a recent head injury asks the client to raise the left arm as high as possible. The client repeatedly raises the right arm. What does this indicate?

Accepted Answer

Decoding refers to the receiver of communication being able to understand the sender's message. This client does not have difficulty with compliance or difficulty following commands since he or she repeatedly raises the opposite arm. It is likely that the head injury has affected the client's ability to understand. The nurse is not seeking feedback.

Quiz 14: Communication in the Nursepatient Relationship