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A patient is a successful insurance salesman; however, because of market changes, his level of sales has dropped. His boss tells him he will consequently be receiving a $2,000 per year cut in his salary. When the patient arrives home from work, the family dog runs to greet him as he always does, barking and jumping up and down and begging for attention. The patient yells at the dog, 'Get away from me; I can?t take your barking right now.' The patient?s response reflects a defense mechanism because it was which of the following?
- A. An intentional behavior performed to let the dog know his behavior was inappropriate
- B. Automatic, protecting the patient from the anxiety related to his upcoming pay cut
- C. Implemented to keep the patient from having to cope with his upcoming pay cut
- D. Implemented so the patient could rationalize his upcoming pay cut
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The patient?s response reflects displacement, a defense mechanism where emotions (anxiety about the pay cut) are redirected to a less threatening target (the dog). This is automatic and protects the patient from directly confronting anxiety. The response is not intentional training, avoidance of coping, or rationalization.
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A patient who is hospitalized with depression tells the nurse, 'I don?t want to take the medication because I?m afraid I?ll become suicidal.' Which response by the nurse would be most appropriate?
- A. Have you ever thought about hurting yourself?
- B. It?s important that you take this medication.
- C. I agree with you. I wouldn?t want to take this medication either.
- D. Another patient took that medication, and he really felt better.
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: The patient?s fear of becoming suicidal warrants immediate assessment for suicidal ideation. Asking 'Have you ever thought about hurting yourself?' directly addresses this concern and ensures patient safety. Other responses dismiss the fear, agree inappropriately, or provide irrelevant anecdotes, none of which address the patient?s concern effectively.
A nurse is engaged in active listening. Which of the following would the nurse use? Select all that apply.
- A. Changing the subject to gather more information
- B. Responding indirectly to statements
- C. Using open-ended statements
- D. Concentrating on what patient says
- E. Allowing the patient to talk as he wishes
Correct Answer: C,D,E
Rationale: Active listening involves concentrating on the patient?s words, using open-ended statements to encourage elaboration, and allowing the patient to express themselves freely. Changing the subject or responding indirectly disrupts the flow and is nontherapeutic.
When engaged in a nontherapeutic relationship, which of the following would the nurse identify as occurring first?
- A. Failure to recognize the patient as a person with a need
- B. Patient avoiding the nurse
- C. The nurse being perceived as rude
- D. Patient feeling hopeless and frustrated
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: A nontherapeutic relationship begins with the nurse?s failure to recognize the patient?s individual needs, undermining trust and rapport. This precedes patient avoidance, perceptions of rudeness, or feelings of hopelessness, which are outcomes of the initial failure.
A group of students are reviewing the process of verbal communication. The students demonstrate understanding of the information when they identify which of the following as the first component of the process?
- A. Formulation of an idea
- B. Message encoding
- C. Transmission of message
- D. Message reception
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Verbal communication begins with formulating an idea, which is then encoded, transmitted, and received. Formulation is the initial step where the speaker conceptualizes the message.
When engaged in therapeutic communication in a therapeutic relationship with a patient with a mental health problem, which of the following would be most important for the nurse to keep in mind?
- A. The nurse should self-disclose when indicated.
- B. The patient is the primary focus of the interaction.
- C. The nurse should have an empathetic relationship with the patient.
- D. The patient?s conversations should be recorded.
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Therapeutic communication prioritizes the patient?s needs and perspective, making the patient the primary focus. Self-disclosure is used cautiously and only when beneficial, empathy is important but secondary to patient focus, and recording conversations is inappropriate without consent and not a primary concern.