CHAPTER 21 COMMUNICATOR 119
Copyright © 2011 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. Study Guide for Fundamentals of Nursing:j. Developing listening skills:k.Using silence as a tool:6.Rewrite the following questions/statements
to promote more effective communication
with the patient.
a.“Did you have a good night?”b.“Are you ready to try walking on that
foot?”c. “I can’t believe you stopped taking your
insulin!”d.“You aren’t afraid of taking that test, are
you?”e.“No one should be afraid of that
procedure; it’s been done a million
times!”f. “Don’t worry; everything will be all
right.”7.Underline the nonverbal communication in
the following paragraph:
Mrs. Clarke, age 42, underwent a mastectomy.
She has a husband and two children, ages 10
and 5. When the nurse enters Mrs. Clarke’s
room, she finds her patient’s eyes are teary
and there is a worried expression on her face.
When asked how she is feeling, Mrs. Clarke
replies “fine,” although her face is rigid and
her mouth is drawn in a firm line. She is mov-
ing her foot back and forth under the covers.
On further investigation, the nurse finds that
Mrs. Clarke is worried about her children and
her own ability to be a healthy, functioning
wife and mother again. After prompting, Mrs.
Clarke says, “I don’t know if my husband will
still love me like this.” She sighs and falls
silent, reflecting upon her recovery. The nurse
tries to make Mrs. Clarke comfortable and
puts her hand over Mrs. Clarke’s hand. She
establishes eye contact with Mrs. Clarke andreassures her that things have a way of work-
ing out and suggests that she give her
situation some time.
8.Mr. Uhl is a 72-year-old man with early signs
of Alzheimer’s disease. He is living with his
daughter and son-in-law in a large city, where
he is functioning well under supervision. His
doctor suggests a daycare center to fill in the
gaps when the daughter is away at her part-
time job. Nurse Parish, employed by the day-
care center, enters into a helping relationship
with Mr. Uhl, even though she knows she
will be starting a new job at the end of the
month that will force them to terminate their
relationship. Write two patient goals the
nurse may prepare for Mr. Uhl in the follow-
ing phases of their short helping relationship.
a.Orientation phase:
(1)
(2)
b.Working phase:
(1)
(2)
c. Termination phase:
(1)
(2)
9.Give an example of the following
interpersonal skills necessary for the promo-
tion of a healthy nurse–patient relationship.
Rate your own skills in these areas on a scale
of 1 to 10.
a.Warmth and friendliness:
b.Openness:
c. Empathy:
d.Competence:
e.Consideration of patient variables:10.Mr. Johnson, age 69, has been diagnosed with
prostate cancer. He is despondent and refuses
to participate in his own care. Give an exam-
ple of a nurse’s dialog with Mr. Johnson that
shows each component of the assertive
response:
a.Empathic component:LWBK696-C21_p114-121.qxd 9/2/10 9:33 AM Page 119 Aptara Inc