Question 1

The nurse manager is responsible for resolving a conflict. Place the steps of conflict resolution in the order the manager should use. 
A) Identify the problem behaviors. 
B) Discuss the situation with those involved. 
C) Document the facts and their source. 
D) Report the results to the appropriate supervisor.

Accepted Answer

A,C,B,D
Explanation: 1. This step correlates with data collection or assessment and is the first step in this process.
2. This is the third step of the process, after data has been collected and documented.
3. Documenting facts and sources is the second step of the process.
4. This is the final step in this process.

Question 2

Select the tools used by healthcare that are focused on coordination of care. Select all that apply.

Accepted Answer

1. Care coordination is essential to patient-centered care. Case management, clinical pathways, practice guidelines, disease management, and care maps all have coordination as a basis of their development.
2. Care coordination is essential to patient-centered care. Case management, clinical pathways, practice guidelines, disease management, and care maps all have coordination as a basis of their development.
3. Care coordination is essential to patient-centered care. Case management, clinical pathways, practice guidelines, disease management, and care maps all have coordination as a basis of their development.
4. Care coordination is essential to patient-centered care. Case management, clinical pathways, practice guidelines, disease management, and care maps all have coordination as a basis of their development.
5. Care coordination is essential to patient-centered care. Case management, clinical pathways, practice guidelines, disease management, and care maps all have coordination as a basis of their development.

Question 3

The nurse manager has been working with staff to improve care coordination, but has not met success with this endeavor. Which statements, made by staff, would indicate to this manager that a barrier to coordination exists? Select all that apply.

Accepted Answer

1. Not having the correct resources is a source of frustration and has a negative impact on coordination of care.
2. Not being able to communicate is a source of frustration and has a negative impact on coordination of care.
3. Coordination is more effective when those involved have a better understanding of their respective roles and work stresses.
4. Staff who are not willing to listen or include others will find coordination difficult.
5. Working together to solve a problem is a positive step toward coordination of care.

Question 4

Which option is related to collaboration between the nurse and patient instead of coordination of patient care?

Accepted Answer

1. In order to collaborate, there must direct interaction with the patient.
2. This is true of coordination.
3. Collaboration and coordination are goal directed.
4. This is true of coordination.

Question 5

The patient, the nurse, and the physician have discussed treatment options and nursing care and have come to an agreement on the patient's plan of care. Which principle does this illustrate?

Accepted Answer

1. Education focuses on helping each party understand the other's roles. It is important to collaboration, but not the best answer to this question.
2. Conflict resolution is often a part of collaboration and may have been a part of this scenario, but there is not enough information to make that the best answer.
3. Emotional intelligence is a leadership theory that promotes awareness of feelings. It may be a part of collaboration, but is not the best answer to this question.
4. This scenario demonstrates a shared purposeful attention to the patient's needs and problems to achieve successful outcomes, which is the principle of collaboration.

Question 6

A nurse who is often a staff leader frequently comes to the nurse manager with concerns and complaints. When the nurse is reviewed for a merit raise she does not receive it even though the nurse demonstrated excellent work leading the unit change to evidence-based practice. This illustrates use of which type of power by the nurse manager?

Accepted Answer

1. Coercive power is based on punishment when a person does not do as expected or directed. Examples are denial of a pay raise, termination, and poor schedule or assignment. Denial of this nurse's merit raise, even though work was excellent, could be related to the nurse frequently coming to the nurse manager with concerns. This situation is an example of coercive power.
2. This informal power comes from others recognizing that an individual has special qualities and is admired.
3. This type of power arises from the ability to access and share information.
4. This type of power comes from the ability to reward those who comply. This is closely associated with coercive power, but this situation more clearly demonstrates coercive actions. If the nurse had been given a pay raise for good work and complying with expectations, reward power would be used.

Question 7

The nurse is working to make sure all plans for the patient's discharge are complete. Which option best reflects the role in which this nurse is working?

Accepted Answer

1. Evaluation is a step of the nursing process used to help coordinate care. This is not the best answer to this question.
2. Coordination of care is done to establish and support a continuous healing relationship. This nurse is working to assure that there is a smooth transition from hospital to home.
3. The nurse will likely use communication skills while coordinating the transition, but this is not the best answer.
4. The nurse may have to collaborate with others in order to coordinate the patient's discharge, but this is not the best answer.

Question 8

Select the appropriate interventions to discourage verbal abuse between physicians and nurses. Select all that apply.

Accepted Answer

1. Identification of the problem is essential. Sometimes this intervention can stop beginning abuse.
2. It is important for nurses to understand more about the physician's role and role strain and for physicians to understand more about the nurse's role and role strain.
3. The leader of this group should be the same as the participants. If the sessions are held jointly, there should be both a nurse and a physician as leaders.
4. This is not a good solution to the problem. If the nurse is innocent in the situation, the behavior will not stop. If the nurse is not innocent in the situation, the behavior is likely to continue at the next job.
5. Educating and setting clear expectations is essential. Reporting guidelines are also important.

Question 9

Which typical response by the nurse indicates the use of effective collaboration skill?

Accepted Answer

1. Conflicts will arise that could interfere with collaboration. The nurse must develop negotiation to skills to resolve difficult conflicts.
2. Nurses who fear competition and who are concerned about power will struggle with the need to share. Sharing is a component of collaboration.
3. This is a barrier to effective collaboration. The nurse should ask others involved in the process for advice and comments.
4. To effectively collaborate the nurse should avoid attacking and counterattacking and should focus on common interests and resolutions.

Question 10

Select the options that reflect the key concepts related to collaboration. Select all that apply.

Accepted Answer

1. Key concepts related to the dynamic process of collaboration are partnership, interdependence, and collective ownership and responsibility.
2. Key concepts related to the dynamic process of collaboration are partnership, interdependence, and collective ownership and responsibility.
3. The position the nurse has does not affect nurse collaboration.
4. Key concepts related to the dynamic process of collaboration are partnership, interdependence, and collective ownership and responsibility.
5. Key concepts related to the dynamic process of collaboration are partnership, interdependence, and collective ownership and responsibility.

Question 11

The nursing staff members report a problem to their nurse manager by saying, "We know we are going to have a problem with this." This statement illustrates which stage of conflict?

Accepted Answer

1. This stage requires recognition or awareness that conflict exists at a particular time.
2. This occurs when individuals begin to have feelings about the conflict such as anxiety or anger.
3. This is overt conflict.
4. The latent conflict stage involves the anticipation of conflict.

Question 12

The staff nurse approaches the nurse manager with a complaint about a physical therapy assistant and states, "She doesn't do the same amount of work as the nursing assistants." After investigating, the manager believes the staff nurse does not understand the PT assistant's role and that is causing stress for the nurse. Which kind of conflict has this situation caused the nurse?

Accepted Answer

1. Organizational conflict occurs between or among groups in the organization or between or among organizations. This choice is not supported by the scenario provided.
2. Not understanding the roles of other staff can be very stressful for the individual and does affect work performance.
3. Interpersonal conflict occurs between people and can be related to personality differences, territoriality, or control issues. There is nothing in this question that says that there is interpersonal conflict between the two individuals.
4. Repressive conflict is a type of conflict when the individual responds by excessive absenteeism or other avoidance behavior. This is a type of covert conflict.

Question 13

The administrative staff has brainstormed for ideas on creating a more collaborative environment in the healthcare agency. Which idea would be the best to develop further?

Accepted Answer

1. This idea is focused on an individual profession, not on collaboration among disciplines.
2. It would be better to be very public and upfront about the initiative.
3. This idea focuses on the individual department, not on collaboration.
4. This is the best idea offered. Collaboration requires acceptance that one's own profession does not have all the answers or skills and that it takes many different professions to provide patient-centered care.

Question 14

Which option illustrates that effective negotiation has occurred?

Accepted Answer

1. This option represents clarifying and justifying, which is the third step of the process.
2. This option represents setting the ground rules of the negotiation, which is the second step.
3. This option represents the bargaining and problem solving step, which is the fourth step.
4. This is the final step of this process and indicates closure and implementation.

Question 15

A staff member has become very disagreeable. The other nurses know this staff member is transferring to another unit at the end of the week. The nurses decide to ignore the situation. This illustrates which method of conflict resolution?

Accepted Answer

1. Accommodation allows a person to try to make a situation better when the he or she is less interested in the situation than the other party and, therefore, just allows the conflict to deflate.
2. Collaboration is when all parties attempt to reach an acceptable solution for all.
3. Avoidance enables the person to withdraw or ignore a situation that is not worth what might be lost if it is addressed. This often occurs when one party in a conflict is leaving.
4. Passive-aggressive behavior makes conflict worse. It is when there is resistance to following through with expectations. This resistance can be obstructionist.

Question 16

Which actions are important in the prevention of conflict? Select all that apply.

Accepted Answer

1. Conflict can arise when resources are scarce or unfairly allocated.
2. Denying problems or trying to keep the fact that problems exist secret will lead to mistrust.
3. Clear communication, especially about rumors and fears, is important to reduce conflict.
4. Expectations should be clearly stated to prevent misunderstanding and rumor.
5. Roles should be clearly defined and role responsibilities should be clear.

Question 17

Which option, regarding the benefits of interprofessional collaboration, is accurate?

Accepted Answer

1. These relationships are difficult to establish.
2. These environments take time to develop and energy to maintain.
3. This is a benefit. The more a professional knows about other disciplines in healthcare and the more networking the professional does, the more marketable the person is.
4. This is not true and is not a benefit.

Question 18

Initial conflict resolution includes using which strategy?

Accepted Answer

1. This is a by-product of the conflict resolution process. It should not be necessary to wait until self-confidence is developed to address the conflict resolution process.
2. If a conflict is not identified, it can damage patient care and staff relationships.
3. It is important to ask about behaviors that started the conflict and to explore how to avoid them in the future.
4. This may be necessary if no opportunity for cooperative problem solving can be identified. It should not be used in the initial stages of conflict resolution.

Question 19

The manager has asked the staff to participate in the selection of new intravenous pumps for the unit. The manger has provided a list of choices and budget guidelines. This is an example of use of which management strategy?

Accepted Answer

1. This manager has used expert opinion, not expert power.
2. Legitimate power is the type of power that is "awarded" with a position.
3. This action enables others to act and provides others with the opportunity to participate and influence decisions.
4. The manger would have used persuasiveness to convince the staff to adopt a particular kind of pump that the manager chose.

Question 20

The nursing department of a hospital is engaged in collaborative planning with the laboratory and radiology department of the same hospital. What are the benefits of this collaborative planning? Select all that apply.

Accepted Answer

1. Maximizing resources is a big benefit of planning collaboratively.
2. This is not the reason for collaborative planning.
3. If planning is not done collaboratively, one department is unaware of the other department's plans and may duplicate work. For example, planning how lab tests are ordered can reduce duplication of work.
4. When staff members sit down together and plan for the future, they learn more about one another and one another's role. This can improve relationships.
5. Maximizing resources is a big benefit of planning collaboratively.

Quiz 13: Improving Teamwork: Collaboration, Coordination, and Conflict Resolution