Chapter 3 Interviewing Basics

Establishing a good rapport with the patient is important for which reasons? Select all that apply:

a. making the patient feel comfortable

b. building a long friendship with the patient

c. promoting cooperation

d. setting the stage for the health care provider to speak to the patient

e. speeding the interview along

a. making the patient feel comfortable

c. promoting cooperation

Why is it important that the nurse take special care to establish rapport during the initial interview of a newly admitted patient?

a. It is the only time the nurse will meet the patient

b. It sets the tone for partnership

c. The initial interview will be the only time to gather patient information

d. To set the stage for the health care provider to speak to the patient

b. It sets the tone for partnership

During the interview of a newly admitted patient, why is it important for the nurse to maintain eye contact when establishing a good rapport?

a. It forces the patient to answer questions truthfully

b. It puts the focus on patient

c. It ensures the patient does not get distracted

d. It ensures the patient answers questions quickly

b. It puts the focus on patient

To prepare for a patient interview, the nurse determines if the patient has any immediate physical needs. Why is this an important step in establishing rapport?

a. It ensures the patient does not need to leave the room for anything

b. It helps make the patient more physically comfortable

c. It establishes an alliance, thus ensuring the patient will answer truthfully

d. It ensures the patient answers questions quickly

b. It helps make the patient more physically comfortable

During communication with a new patient, the nurse interrupts the patient, asking, “What exactly do you mean by high blood pressure?” It was appropriate to interrupt the patient because the nurse is using which communication technique?

a. Wording questions wisely

b. Using nonjudgmental questions

c. Using open-ended questions

d. Asking for clarification

d. Asking for clarification

Which types of questions would the nurse use to effectively obtain basic information such as name or age?

a. Leading

b. Open-ended

c. Multiple-choice

d. Closed-ended

d. Closed-ended

Which question, asked by the nurse, is not an effective way of obtaining a sexual history?

a. “Are you sexually active?”

b. “You are not sexually active, are you?”

c. “Can you tell me about your living situation?”

d. “In what ways are you sexually active?”

b. “You are not sexually active, are you?”

Which question, asked by the nurse, is an example of effective communication?

Select all that apply.

a. “How do your religious beliefs affect your health care decisions?”

b. “Is your name John Brown?”

c. “Do you live alone? Does someone live with you? Are you sexually active? Does your sexual partner live with you?”

d. “Have you felt you ought to cut down on your drinking?”

e. “You aren’t an alcoholic, are you?”

a. “How do your religious beliefs affect your health care decisions?”

b. “Is your name John Brown?”

d. “Have you felt you ought to cut down on your drinking?”

Establishing a good rapport with the patient facilitates the nurse’s ability to obtain which information?

Select all that apply.

a. How the patient thinks he or she should be treated

b. Details about a patient’s complaint

c. How the patient has been treated in the past

d. The patient’s expectations

e. Where the patient has been treated in the past

b. Details about a patient’s complaint

d. The patient’s expectations

A necessary part of establishing a good rapport with a patient is to understand the patient’s perspective on the condition and treatment plan. How does this help the history-taking process?

a. Allows the patient to participate in designing the treatment plan

b. Prevents miscommunication and misinterpretations

c. Allows the patient to participate in identifying the diagnosis

d. Provides the nurse with additional information related to patient symptoms

b. Prevents miscommunication and misinterpretations

Why is it important for the nurse to establish a good rapport by ensuring each patient-nurse interaction is unique?

a. To build trust

b. So the patient feels less intimidated

c. So the patient tells the truth

d. So that a critically ill patient understands everything will be fine

a. To build trust

While preparing the patient room before beginning an interview, which steps should the nurse take to ensure patient comfort and establish good patient-nurse rapport?

Select all that apply.

a. Drawing the curtains

b. Adjusting the room temperature

c. Speaking in a loud voice so the patient can hear

d. Provide sufficient lighting

e. Ask patient if others can be present during care

a. Drawing the curtains

b. Adjusting the room temperature

d. Provide sufficient lighting

e. Ask patient if others can be present during care

Which steps should the nurse take to establish and maintain a good rapport with the patient?

Select all that apply.

a. Ensure patient comfort

b. Ask students to participate in the discussion

c. Use effective communication

d. Use appropriate body language

e. Focus on the patient

a. Ensure patient comfort

c. Use effective communication

d. Use appropriate body language

e. Focus on the patient

Which appropriate actions taken by the nurse demonstrate that body language is important in establishing and maintaining a good rapport with the patient?

Select all that apply.

a. Getting as close to the patient as possible

b. Sitting during the interview

c. Addressing immediate patient needs

d. Keeping an appropriate distance

e. Communicating effectively

b. Sitting during the interview

d. Keeping an appropriate distance

Asking several consecutive yes/no questions should be avoided for which reason?

Select all that apply.

a. They encourage the patient to lie.

b. They may confuse the patient.

c. They may be misinterpreted as judgmental.

d. They discourage the patient from providing additional information.

e. They are examples of open-ended questions.

b. They may confuse the patient.

d. They discourage the patient from providing additional information.

Effective communication relies on the nurse implementing which communication techniques?

Select all that apply.

a. Courtesy

b. Comfort

c. Connection

d. Counsel

e. Confidentiality

a. courtesy

b. comfort

c. connection

e. confidentiality

The nurse is communicating with a patient who recently received the diagnosis of a terminal illness. Which action by the nurse is an example of empathy?

a. Assuring the patient that everything will be fine

b. Leaving the patient alone

c. Showing understanding and acceptance

d. Asking the patient to not cry

c. Showing understanding and acceptance

The nurse is gathering a health history. Which question, asked by the nurse, would be most effective for obtaining details about the chief complaint?

a. “You are still drinking, aren’t you?”

b. “Are your joints tender?”

c. “Please describe the pain.”

d. “Please describe similar conditions in your family members.”

c. “Please describe the pain.”

The nurse is gathering a health history. Which statement, made by the nurse, would be least effective for obtaining details about the patient’s smoking habits?

a. “You look like you smoke about a pack of cigarettes per day; is this accurate?”

b. “How many packs of cigarettes do you smoke a week?”

c. “How long have you used tobacco?”

d. “What type of tobacco do you use?”

b. “How many packs of cigarettes do you smoke a week?”

During the health history, the patient tells the nurse he drinks four beers daily. Which statement, made by the nurse, is an example of reflecting?

a. “To clarify, you said you drink four beers daily?”

b. “When during the day do you drink your beers?”

c. “I can appreciate wanting a beer or two after a long day.”

d. “What do you mean?”

a. “To clarify, you said you drink four beers daily?”