An involuntarily admitted inpatient diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia repeatedly calls the local mayor.The patient verbally abuses the person who answers the phone as well as the mayor.Select the most appropriate initial nursing intervention to help manage this behavior.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

In this situation, the patient's phone privileges should be suspended temporarily and the reason should be documented. This is necessary to prevent the patient from continuing to verbally abuse others, and to protect the patient from potentially harmful consequences of their behavior (such as legal trouble if their calls are considered harassment). Once the patient has demonstrated improved behavior, their phone privileges can be reinstated. It is important to discuss the reasons for the suspension with the patient, and to explore alternative ways to manage their behavior. Social skills training may be appropriate once the patient's behavior is stabilized, but it is not the most immediate or effective intervention in this situation. Similarly, informing the patient that their phone privileges could be revoked may not be enough to stop the problematic behavior if the patient feels compelled to make the calls. Asking the patient advocate to review the limits of the patient's rights with the patient may be a helpful step, but it is not the best initial intervention for addressing the phone calls.

An Involuntarily Admitted Inpatient Diagnosed with Paranoid Schizophrenia Repeatedly Calls