NCLEX-RN
Communication and Documentation Questions
Extract:
Question 1 of 5
A teenaged client is discharged from the hospital after surgery with instructions to use a cane for the next 6 months. What question best demonstrates the nurse's ability to use therapeutic communication techniques to effectively assess the teenager's feelings about using a cane?
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: The nurse effectively uses therapeutic communication techniques when posing an open-ended question to elicit assessment data about how the teenager feels about using a cane. The remaining options are closed-ended questions. Option 3 makes assumptions about how the teenager feels, and options 2 and 4 focus on the physical aspects of using the cane.
Question 2 of 5
The nursing student is listening to a lecture on correcting errors in a written narrative on a medical record. Which statement by the nursing student indicates that the teaching has been effective?
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: If the nurse makes a narrative documentation error in the client's record, the agency's policy should be followed to correct the error. Agency policy usually includes drawing one line through the error, initialing and dating the line, and then providing the correct information. The nurse uses a late entry to document additional information that was not documented at the time that it occurred. The nurse avoids attempting to remove the error by any means because these actions raise the suspicion of wrongdoing.
Question 3 of 5
While in the hospital, a client was diagnosed with coronary artery disease (CAD). Which question by the nurse is likely to elicit the most useful response for determining the client's degree of adjustment to the new diagnosis?
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Exploring feelings assists the nurse with determining the individualized plan of care for the client who is adjusting to a new diagnosis. The correct option is the best question to ask the client because it is likely to elicit the most revealing information about the client's feelings about CAD and the requisite lifestyle changes that can help maintain health and wellness. The remaining choices are aspects of post-hospital care, but they are unlikely to uncover as much information about the client's adjustment to CAD because they are closed-ended questions.
Question 4 of 5
The registered nurse is orienting a new nurse on how to care for a client diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus, who was recently hospitalized for hyperglycemic hyperosmolar syndrome (HHS). When preparing for discharge from the hospital, the client expresses anxiety and concerns about the recurrence of HHS. Which response by the new nurse is best?
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: The nurse should provide time and listen to the client's concerns while attempting to clarify the client's feelings as in the correct option. Option 2 is not an appropriate nursing response because it is making suggestions regarding care options without appropriately identifying the client's true concerns. Options 3 and 4 provide inappropriate false hope and disregard the client's concerns.
Question 5 of 5
A client who is experiencing paranoid thinking involving food being poisoned is admitted to the mental health unit. Which communication technique should the nurse use to encourage the client to communicate his fears?
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Open-ended questions and silence are strategies that are used to encourage clients to discuss their feelings in a descriptive manner. Options 2 and 3 are not helpful to the client because they do not encourage the expression of personal feelings. Option 4 is not a client-centered intervention.