A patient who has just returned from surgery says to the nurse, "I'm hurting so much!" Which of the following responses from the nurse uses focusing to discover the specific information the nurse needs?
A)"You're feeling pain?"
B)"What is hurting you?"
C)"Why do you think you are feeling pain?"
D)"Are you feeling anything else?"

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The nurse should respond by saying, "What is hurting you?" This represents focusing, which narrows down the topic of conversation in order to give the nurse the information they need. Pain after surgery is most likely from the procedure; however, pain could also be a symptom of another complication. By focusing the topic, the nurse can determine where the pain is by how the patient describes it, in order to provide treatment.

A Patient Who Has Just Returned from Surgery Says to the Nurse