1. A patient with a diagnosis of major depression who has attenpted suicide says to the nurse, "I should
have died. I've always been a failure. Nothing
... [Show More] ever goes right for me." Which response demonstrates
therapeutic communication?
a. "You have everything to live for"
b. "Why do you see yourself as a failiure?"
c. "Feeling like this is all part of being depressed."
d. "You've been feeling like a failure for a while?" - ✔✔(D) "You've been feeling like a failure for a
while?"
RATIONALE: Responding to the feelings expressed by a patient is an effective therapeutic
communication technique. The correct option is an example of the use of restating. The remaining
options block communication because they minimize the patient's experience and do not facilitate
exploration of the patient's expressed feelings. In additions, use of the word "why" is nontherapeutic.
2. When the community health nurse visits a patient at home, the patitent states, "I haven't slept at all
the last cople of nights. Which response by the nurse illustrates a therapeutic communication response
to this patient."
a. "I see."
b. "Really?"
c. "You're having difficulty sleeping?"
d. "Sometimes, I have trouble sleeping too." - ✔✔(C) "You're having difficulty sleeping?"
RATIONALE: The correct option uses the therapeutic communication technique of restatement.
Although restatement is a technique that has a prompting component to it, it repeats the patients major
theme, which assists the nurse to obtain a more specific perception of the problem from the patient.
The remaining options are not therapeutic responses since none encourage the patient to expand on
the problem. Offering personal experiences moves the focus away from the patient and onto the nurse.
3. A patient experiencing disturbed thought processes believes that his food is being poisoned. Which
communication technique should the use to encourage the patient to eat?
a. Using open-ended questions and silence
b. Sharing personal prefernce regarding food choicesc. Documenting reasons why the patient does not wat to eat
d. Offering opinions about the necessity of adequate nutrition - ✔✔(A) Using open-ended questions
and silence
RATIONALE: Open-ended questions and silence are strategies use to encourage patients to discuss their
problems. Sharing personal food preferences is not a patient-centered intervention. The remaining
options are not helpful to the patient because they do not encourage the patient to express feelings.
The nurse should not offer opinions and should encourage the patient to identify the reasons for the
behavior.
4. A patient admitted to a nental health unit for treatment of psychotic behavior spends hours at teh
locked exit door shouting. "Let me out. Ther's nothing wrong with me. I don't belong here." What
defense mechanism is the patient implementing?
a. Denial
b. Projection
c Regression
d. Rationalization [Show Less]