Mental Health HESI Related

Review Mental Health HESI related questions and content

During the admission assessment, a female client requests that her husband be allowed to stay in the room. When the RN notes a discrepancy between the client's verbal and nonverbal communication, what action should the RN take?

  • A. Pay close attention to and document the nonverbal messages.
  • B. Ask the client's husband to interpret the discrepancy.
  • C. Ignore the nonverbal behavior and focus solely on the client's verbal messages.
  • D. Integrate the verbal and nonverbal messages and interpret them together.
Correct Answer: A

Rationale: During a client assessment, noting and documenting nonverbal messages is important as it captures the full context of the client's communication. Nonverbal cues can often reveal underlying emotions or issues that may not be expressed verbally. Asking the client's husband to interpret the discrepancy (Choice B) may not be appropriate as it could potentially breach the client's privacy and trust. Ignoring nonverbal behavior (Choice C) can result in missing important cues that could impact the care provided. Integrating verbal and nonverbal messages (Choice D) is beneficial, but the initial step should be to pay close attention and document the nonverbal messages to fully understand the client's communication.