NCLEX RN Psychosocial Integrity Related

Review NCLEX RN Psychosocial Integrity related questions and content

A client who is in halo traction states to the visiting nurse, 'I can't get used to this contraption. I can't see properly on the side, and I keep misjudging where everything is.' Which therapeutic response should the nurse make to the client?

  • A. If I were you, I would have had the surgery rather than suffer like this.
  • B. No one ever gets used to that thing! It's horrible. Many of our sports people who are in it complain vigorously.
  • C. Halo traction involves many difficult adjustments. Practice scanning with your eyes after standing up and before you move around.
  • D. Why do you feel like this when you could have died from a broken neck? This is the way it is for several months. You need to be more accepting, don't you think?
Correct Answer: C

Rationale: In option 3, the nurse employs empathy and reflection. The nurse then offers a strategy for problem-solving, which helps increase the peripheral vision of the client in halo traction. In option 1, the nurse undermines the client's faith in the medical treatment being employed by giving advice that is insensitive and unprofessional. In option 2, the nurse provides a social response that contains emotionally charged language that could increase the client's anxiety. In option 4, the nurse uses excessive questioning and gives advice, which is nontherapeutic.