Nokea
A nurse assesses a newly admitted patient diagnosed with major depressive disorder. Which statement is an example of 'attending'?
- A. We all have stress in life. Being in a psychiatric hospital is not the end of the world.
- B. Tell me why you felt you had to be hospitalized to receive treatment for your depression.
- C. You will feel better after we get some antidepressant medication started for you.
- D. I'd like to sit with you for a while, so you may feel more comfortable talking with me.
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: Attending is a technique that demonstrates the nurse's commitment to the relationship and reduces feelings of isolation. This technique shows respect for the patient and demonstrates caring. Generalizations, probing, and false reassurances are nontherapeutic.
You may also like to solve these questions
A nurse says, 'When I was in school, I learned to call upset patients by name to get their attention; however, I read a descriptive research study that says that this approach does not work. I plan to stop calling patients by name.' Which statement is the best appraisal of this nurse's comment?
- A. One descriptive research study rarely provides enough evidence to change practice.
- B. Staff nurses apply new research findings only with the help from clinical nurse specialists.
- C. New research findings should be incorporated into clinical algorithms before using them in practice.
- D. The nurse misinterpreted the results of the study. Classic tenets of practice do not change.
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Descriptive research findings provide evidence for practice but must be viewed in relation to other studies before practice changes. One study is not enough. Descriptive studies are low on the hierarchy of evidence. Clinical algorithms use flowcharts to manage problems and do not specify one response to a clinical problem. Classic tenets of practice should change as research findings provide evidence for change.
An experienced nurse says to a new graduate, 'When you've practiced as long as I have, you will instantly know how to take care of psychotic patients.' What is the new graduate's best analysis of this comment?
- A. The experienced nurse may have lost sight of patients' individuality, which may compromise the integrity of practice.
- B. New research findings must be continually integrated into a nurse's practice to provide the most effective care.
- C. Experience provides mental health nurses with the tools and skills needed for effective professional practice.
- D. Experienced psychiatric nurses have learned the best ways to care for psychotic patients through trial and error.
- E. Effective psychiatric nurses should be continually guided by an intuitive sense of patients' needs.
Correct Answer: A,B
Rationale: Evidence-based practice involves using research findings to provide the most effective nursing care. Evidence is continually emerging; therefore, nurses cannot rely solely on experience. The effective nurse also maintains respect for each patient as an individual. Overgeneralization compromises that perspective. Intuition and trial and error are unsystematic approaches to care.
Two nursing students discuss career plans after graduation. One student wants to enter psychiatric nursing. The other student asks, 'Why would you want to be a psychiatric nurse? All they do is talk. You will lose your skills.' Select the best response by the student interested in psychiatric nursing.
- A. Psychiatric nurses' practice in safer environments than other specialties and nurse-to-patient ratios are better because of the nature of patients' problems.
- B. Psychiatric nurses use complex communication skills, as well as critical thinking, to solve multidimensional problems. I'm challenged by those situations.
- C. I think I will be good in the mental health field. I do not like clinical rotations in school, so I do not want to continue them after I graduate.
- D. Psychiatric nurses do not have to deal with as much pain and suffering as medical-surgical nurses. That appeals to me.
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The practice of psychiatric nursing requires a different set of skills than medical-surgical nursing, although substantial overlap does exist. Psychiatric nurses must be able to help patients with medical and mental health problems, reflecting the holistic perspective these nurses must have. Nurse-patient ratios and workloads in psychiatric settings have increased, similar to other specialties. Psychiatric nursing involves clinical practice, not simply documentation. Psychosocial pain is real and can cause as much suffering as physical pain.
Which patient statements identify qualities of nursing practice with high therapeutic value? 'My nurse:
- A. The nurses talk in language I can understand.
- B. The nursing staff helps me keep track of my medications.
- C. My nurse is willing to go to social activities with me.
- D. The staff lets me do whatever I choose without interfering.
- E. My nurses look at me as a whole person with different needs.
Correct Answer: A,B,E
Rationale: Each correct answer demonstrates caring is an example of appropriate nursing foci: communicating at a level understandable to the patient, using holistic principles to guide care, and providing medication supervision. The incorrect options suggest a laissez-faire attitude on the part of the nurse when the nurse should instead provide thoughtful feedback and help patients test alternative solutions or violate boundaries.
An informal group of patients discuss their perceptions of nursing care. Which comment best indicates a patient's perception that his or her nurse is caring?
- A. My nurse always asks me which type of juice I want to help me swallow my medication.
- B. My nurse explained my treatment plan to me and asked for my ideas about how to make it better.
- C. My nurse told me that if I take all the medicines the doctor prescribes, I will get discharged soon.
- D. My nurse spends time listening to me talk about my problems. That helps me feel like I'm not alone.
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: Caring evidences empathic understanding as well as competency. It helps change pain and suffering into a shared experience, creating a human connection that alleviates feelings of isolation. The incorrect options give examples of statements that demonstrate advocacy or giving advice.