Deck 8: Effective Communication

Question 1

A faculty member explains to the class that during the working phase of a therapeutic relationship,the nurse

A)follows the patient's lead on what topics need exploration.
B)needs to establish trust through honesty and commitment.
C)reflects on the professional role and its responsibilities.
D)reviews the patient's status,setting goals for the interaction.

Answer 1

follows the patient's lead on what topics need exploration.

Question 2

A nurse is interviewing a woman in the emergency department about injuries the nurse thinks might have been caused by domestic violence.The woman seems hesitant to discuss her injuries.Which action by the nurse would most likely result in improved communication?

A)Ask the woman why she does not want to discuss the injuries.
B)Close the door and assure the woman of confidentiality.
C)Maintain eye contact while jotting down only brief notes.
D)Sit close,lean in to the woman,and use touch liberally.

Answer 2

Close the door and assure the woman of confidentiality.

Question 3

A nurse serves as a preceptor to a new graduate who is taking an admission database from a new patient.Afterward,the preceptor critiques the new graduate's use of "why" questions,stating,

A)"Avoid using 'why' questions because they make people defensive."
B)"Good job.Your 'why' questions were focused and right to the point."
C)"Nice work.Your 'why' questions were clear and very understandable."
D)"Try using other kinds of questions because 'why' questions get monotonous."

Answer 3

"Avoid using 'why' questions because they make people defensive."

Question 4

A new nurse is friendly and talkative and often tells her patients about her personal life as a way to make friends with them.The manager is counseling her because of recent complaints from these patients that she is unprofessional.Which statement by the manager best summarizes the problem?

A)"Be careful about sharing information;patients can use it against you."
B)"It is unprofessional to divulge any personal information to your patients."
C)"Personal disclosure can be helpful only if it is in the patient's best interest."
D)"You are not here to make friends with patients;you are a professional nurse."

Question 5

A seasoned nurse and a student are completing an admission history with a patient.On leaving the room and discussing their findings,the novice nurse is stunned that what the seasoned nurse learned about the patient seems so different from what he or she took from the interview.What explanation by the seasoned nurse best illustrates the dynamics of this interaction?

A)Experience facilitates selective attention and helps create reality for seasoned nurses.
B)Nurses working on one floor see similar patients and learn how to focus the questions.
C)The novice nurse simply does not know the most important questions to ask patients.
D)The novice nurse was focusing on asking all the questions on the admission database.

Question 6

A new graduate nurse is concerned about the ability to communicate effectively with patients and families.An experienced nurse explains to the new nurse that a good rule of thumb is for the new nurse to

A)avoid using silence until comfortable with patients.
B)find and use metaphors that are easily understood.
C)mirror patients in actions and depth of conversation.
D)use personal stories to encourage bonding with patients.

Question 7

The nurse knows that reframing is a useful technique when the patient

A)cannot articulate fears embedded in the conversation.
B)is confused and unable to articulate his or her concerns.
C)pauses the conversation,letting the nurse summarize.
D)uses absolutely concrete verbiage such as "never."

Question 8

A nursing manager is frustrated by a committee that consistently fails to meet goals and generally demonstrates a lack of progress or results.The manager can conclude that

A)established policies and procedures might be inhibiting productivity.
B)self-serving behaviors outweigh the task behaviors in the group.
C)the committee's goals are vague and the committee lacks direction.
D)the leadership within the group is not skilled at group management.

Question 9

The student learning about therapeutic communication techniques knows that the most important concept in the definition of communication is

A)exchanging.
B)messages.
C)receiver.
D)sender.

Question 10

A nurse talking with a patient about a new diagnosis of advanced cancer wishes to encourage the patient to continue speaking without asking direct questions.The patient has not decided whether to have treatment or go on hospice.Which statement by the nurse would best accomplish this goal?

A)"My brother had the same thing,and he did well with treatment."
B)"So you are not sure if you want to try the treatment or not."
C)"Tell me more about what you are thinking about your options."
D)"Uh huh,I see you are having a conflict about having treatment."

Question 11

An experienced nurse is telling a recent graduate nurse that engaging in active listening with patients can be very tiring because

A)developing the skills needed for active listening takes time and effort.
B)it is difficult to stay quiet and let the patients do all the talking.
C)it requires actively examining the content of what the patient says.
D)more time is required to engage in active listening with patients.

Question 12

A manager is concerned about the level of gossip and "grapevine" communication on the unit.A management consultant explains to the manager that the "grapevine" often occurs when

A)little communication comes from management.
B)management is not trusted to divulge information.
C)regular communication is too slow or irregular.
D)workers feel uncertain or worried about changes.

Question 13

A nurse is discussing an emotional topic with a patient and wants the patient to continue talking but would also like to convey encouragement.Which action by the nurse would best accomplish this?

A)Lean back and keep eye contact.
B)Nod his or her head and say,"Uh huh."
C)Repeat what the patient just said.
D)Say,"I'd like to hear more,please."

Question 14

A patient has just made some statements that seem vague and ambiguous to the nurse.The best statement by the nurse after the patient finishes speaking would be,

A)"Are you afraid these tests will bring results that will upset you?"
B)"I'd like to understand more about what happened earlier today."
C)"Why do you think this happened to you today instead of earlier?"
D)"You said earlier that you were upset by the physician on rounds."

Question 15

A nurse explains to a preceptor student that values clarification helps with intrapersonal communication because

A)communication is enhanced when it occurs between people with similar values.
B)it allows the nurse to separate his or her values from those of the patient.
C)it helps the nurse avoid saying things that might offend or anger others.
D)understanding values will help prevent communication misunderstandings.

Question 16

A nurse wishes to have the patient reflect on what the patient has just said.To allow this to happen,the nurse should

A)ask the patient to reflect on what was just said.
B)clarify the meaning of the words with the patient.
C)repeat what was said and ask what was meant.
D)stay silent until the patient begins to talk again.

Question 17

Why are communication theories that consider only a linear relationship between the sender and receiver of messages considered to be too simplistic?

A)In relationships of unequal power,linear models do not work well.
B)Linear pathways imply both sender and receiver actually participate.
C)Linear models do not consider the dynamic interactions of multiple variables.
D)There are often more than one sender and more than one receiver.

Question 18

A nurse usually avoids physical contact with patients,but when one is diagnosed with a terminal disease,the nurse wishes to hug the patient.This contradiction initially confuses the nurse,but a co-worker helps the nurse differentiate the two behavioral responses based on

A)feelings of closeness to this patient.
B)the context in which each occurred.
C)therapeutic communication techniques.
D)values that guided each situation.

Question 19

A nurse and client have been working together for many months,and all goals for their relationship have been met.The nurse notes that the client has cancelled two appointments in a row.In assessing this situation,which statement by the nurse would gather the most important information?

A)"I see you keep cancelling appointments.Is this time inconvenient?"
B)"I'd like to know what you think will happen when you stop seeing me."
C)"Why do you feel uncomfortable talking to me after all this time?"
D)"Would you please explain to me why you keep cancelling appointments?"

Question 20

A nurse works with victims of sexual abuse.In counseling these individuals,the nurse often elicits information that surprises the client when it is revealed.The nurse describes this situation to a preceptor student as working in the part of the Johari window that is labeled the __________ pane.

A)blind
B)hidden
C)open
D)unknown

Question 21

A nurse manager is briefed by hospital administration about a new nursing expectation.The manager educates the nursing staff on the unit about the new policies.The student studying communication understands this as what type of communication?

A)Downward
B)Horizontal
C)Intraprofessional
D)Vertical

Question 22

The nursing student correctly tells a friend that communication occurs in several interrelated spheres,including the (Select all that apply. )

A)hierarchical.
B)interpersonal.
C)intrapersonal.
D)organizational.
E)small group.

Question 23

The student studying group processes learns about the four phases of groups,which include (Select all that apply. )

A)forming.
B)norming.
C)organizing.
D)storming.
E)working.

Question 24

A new nurse wishes to show concern and caring by using touch and seeks advice on the most appropriate ways of doing so.An experienced nurse explains that (Select all that apply. )

A)because of negative experiences,some patients do not want to be touched.
B)nurses should be cautious about touching a patient of the opposite sex.
C)patients' culture can strongly influence a nurse's ability to use touch.
D)the nurse should assess whether touch is acceptable to patients or not.
E)touch can be used in the absence of any other communication technique.

Question 25

The director of nursing (DON)of a hospital is concerned about communication problems among different professionals that seem to lead to patient care problems.What action by the DON would be most appropriate?

A)Call a meeting of the managers from all the professional areas.
B)Develop a task force to encourage better communication.
C)Host informal sessions where professionals can clarify their roles.
D)Institute formal communication channels between groups.

Question 26

The nursing student knows that examples of important nonverbal communication include (Select all that apply. )

A)eye contact.
B)facial expressions.
C)hand and arm gestures.
D)touch.
E)use of personal space.