NURS 170 FINAL EXAM VERIFIED STUDY GUIDE
professional communication - Answers - a complex interactive process, used in clinical
settings to help patients achieve health-related goals
empathy - Answers - Identification with and understanding of another's situation,
feelings, and motives
sympathy - Answers - feelings of pity and sorrow for someone else's misfortune
active listening - Answers - a dynamically focused interpersonal process in which a
nurse hears a patient's message, decodes its meaning, asks questions for clarification,
and provides feedback to the patient
verbal communication - Answers - communication that uses written or spoken words
nonverbal communication - Answers - communication using body movements, gestures,
and facial expressions rather than speech
active listening techniques - Answers - - body language
- asking open-ended questions
- careful observational listening prompts
-maintaining eye contact
-restating patient concerns
-summarizing conceptually
barriers to effective communication - Answers - -pain/physical discomfort
-language barrier
-struggling with personal emotions
-felling defensive, insecure, judged
-confusion by complex messages
-sensory or cognitive deficits
self-awareness - Answers - A self-conscious state in which attention focuses on oneself.
It makes people more sensitive to their own attitudes and dispositions
open-ended questions - Answers - questions that are open to interpretation and cannot
be answered by "yes" or "no" or one-worded responses
closed-ended questions - Answers - narrowly focused questions, for which single
answer "yes" or "no" serve as a valid response
circular questions - Answers - focused questions that looks at how other people within
the patients support circle respond to a patient's health issues
,linear questions - Answers - facilitate understanding of a situation by both the nurse and
family members (sender, message, receiver, and context)
focused questions - Answers - require more than a "yes" or "no" answer, but they place
limitations on the topic to be addressed
useful verbal prompts - Answers - - "Go on"
- "And then?"
- "Can you tell me more about..."
clarification - Answers - a brief question or request for validation (ex. "You stated earlier
that you were concerned about your blood pressure. Tell me more about your concern")
restatement - Answers - active listening strategy used to broaden a patent's perspective
or when the nurse needs to provide a sharper focus on a specific part of the message
(ex. "Are you saying that...(repeat patient's words)")
paraphrasing - Answers - listening response used to check whether the nurse's
translation of the patient's words represent an accurate interpretation of the message
(ex. patient- "I can't take this anymore. The chemo is worse than the cancer. I just want
to die." nurse- "It sounds as though you are saying you have had enough")
reflection - Answers - active listening response that focuses on the emotional part of a
message (ex. nurse- "It sounds as though you fell guilty because you weren't home at
the time of the accident")
summarizing - Answers - active listening skill used to review content and process (ex.
Before moving on, I would like to go over with you what I think we've accomplished thus
far")
silence - Answers - delivered as a brief pause, is a powerful listening response (ex.
briefly disconnecting but continuing to use attending behaviors after an important idea,
thought, or feeling)
touch - Answers - powerful listening response used when words would break a mood or
when verbalization would fail to convey the empathy or depth of feeling between nurse
and patient (ex. gently rubbing a person's arm during a painful procedure)
feedback - Answers - a message a nurse gives the patient in response to a question,
verbal message, or observed behavior (ex. nurse- "I noticed when the anesthesiologist
was in here that you didn't ask her any of the questions you had about your anesthesia
tomorrow. Do you want to look at what you might want to know so you can get the
information you need?")
, validation - Answers - A special form of feedback, used to ensure that both participants
have the same basic understanding of messages (ex. "How do you feel about what I
just said?")
stress - Answers - nonspecific, emotional response of the body to any demand made
upon it
stressor - Answers - any demand, situation, internal stimulus, or circumstance that
threatens and individual's personal security or integrity
internal stressors - Answers - pregnancy, fever, menopause, or emotions that originate
WITHIN the body
external stressors - Answers - social or work stressors, accidents, debt, exams—Start
OUTSIDE the self
crisis - Answers - an EXTREME ACUTE STRESSOR situation for which coping
mechanisms fail and the person is unable to function (resolves within 6 weeks)
eustress - Answers - a MILD level of stress, which is a POSITIVE response with
protective and adaptive functions (motivates people to master challenges and develop
new skills)
distress - Answers - NEGATIVE stress level, creates a level of anxiety exceeding a
person's normal coping abilities (diminishes performance and quality of life)
chronic stress - Answers - development and EXACERBATION of cardiac conditions,
migraine, and digestive disorders
acute stress - Answers - requires immediate attention, creates a very intense form of
anxiety that could disable the person experiencing it
allostasis - Answers - theory of stress response, describes how the human organism
"maintains physiological homeostasis through changing circumstances"
allostatic load - Answers - continued presence of a stressor that has caused challenges
or coping responses to be ineffective; causes "wear and tear" on the body
allostatic accommodation - Answers - the physiological process through which the brain
tries to find a new homeostasis, using a range of adaptive functioning ("stability through
change")
General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS) - Answers - a set of symptoms "was so general
that it was like a single burglar alarm that sounds, no matter what intrudes" the same
physiological response occurs regardless of whether a stressor is psychological or
physical
professional communication - Answers - a complex interactive process, used in clinical
settings to help patients achieve health-related goals
empathy - Answers - Identification with and understanding of another's situation,
feelings, and motives
sympathy - Answers - feelings of pity and sorrow for someone else's misfortune
active listening - Answers - a dynamically focused interpersonal process in which a
nurse hears a patient's message, decodes its meaning, asks questions for clarification,
and provides feedback to the patient
verbal communication - Answers - communication that uses written or spoken words
nonverbal communication - Answers - communication using body movements, gestures,
and facial expressions rather than speech
active listening techniques - Answers - - body language
- asking open-ended questions
- careful observational listening prompts
-maintaining eye contact
-restating patient concerns
-summarizing conceptually
barriers to effective communication - Answers - -pain/physical discomfort
-language barrier
-struggling with personal emotions
-felling defensive, insecure, judged
-confusion by complex messages
-sensory or cognitive deficits
self-awareness - Answers - A self-conscious state in which attention focuses on oneself.
It makes people more sensitive to their own attitudes and dispositions
open-ended questions - Answers - questions that are open to interpretation and cannot
be answered by "yes" or "no" or one-worded responses
closed-ended questions - Answers - narrowly focused questions, for which single
answer "yes" or "no" serve as a valid response
circular questions - Answers - focused questions that looks at how other people within
the patients support circle respond to a patient's health issues
,linear questions - Answers - facilitate understanding of a situation by both the nurse and
family members (sender, message, receiver, and context)
focused questions - Answers - require more than a "yes" or "no" answer, but they place
limitations on the topic to be addressed
useful verbal prompts - Answers - - "Go on"
- "And then?"
- "Can you tell me more about..."
clarification - Answers - a brief question or request for validation (ex. "You stated earlier
that you were concerned about your blood pressure. Tell me more about your concern")
restatement - Answers - active listening strategy used to broaden a patent's perspective
or when the nurse needs to provide a sharper focus on a specific part of the message
(ex. "Are you saying that...(repeat patient's words)")
paraphrasing - Answers - listening response used to check whether the nurse's
translation of the patient's words represent an accurate interpretation of the message
(ex. patient- "I can't take this anymore. The chemo is worse than the cancer. I just want
to die." nurse- "It sounds as though you are saying you have had enough")
reflection - Answers - active listening response that focuses on the emotional part of a
message (ex. nurse- "It sounds as though you fell guilty because you weren't home at
the time of the accident")
summarizing - Answers - active listening skill used to review content and process (ex.
Before moving on, I would like to go over with you what I think we've accomplished thus
far")
silence - Answers - delivered as a brief pause, is a powerful listening response (ex.
briefly disconnecting but continuing to use attending behaviors after an important idea,
thought, or feeling)
touch - Answers - powerful listening response used when words would break a mood or
when verbalization would fail to convey the empathy or depth of feeling between nurse
and patient (ex. gently rubbing a person's arm during a painful procedure)
feedback - Answers - a message a nurse gives the patient in response to a question,
verbal message, or observed behavior (ex. nurse- "I noticed when the anesthesiologist
was in here that you didn't ask her any of the questions you had about your anesthesia
tomorrow. Do you want to look at what you might want to know so you can get the
information you need?")
, validation - Answers - A special form of feedback, used to ensure that both participants
have the same basic understanding of messages (ex. "How do you feel about what I
just said?")
stress - Answers - nonspecific, emotional response of the body to any demand made
upon it
stressor - Answers - any demand, situation, internal stimulus, or circumstance that
threatens and individual's personal security or integrity
internal stressors - Answers - pregnancy, fever, menopause, or emotions that originate
WITHIN the body
external stressors - Answers - social or work stressors, accidents, debt, exams—Start
OUTSIDE the self
crisis - Answers - an EXTREME ACUTE STRESSOR situation for which coping
mechanisms fail and the person is unable to function (resolves within 6 weeks)
eustress - Answers - a MILD level of stress, which is a POSITIVE response with
protective and adaptive functions (motivates people to master challenges and develop
new skills)
distress - Answers - NEGATIVE stress level, creates a level of anxiety exceeding a
person's normal coping abilities (diminishes performance and quality of life)
chronic stress - Answers - development and EXACERBATION of cardiac conditions,
migraine, and digestive disorders
acute stress - Answers - requires immediate attention, creates a very intense form of
anxiety that could disable the person experiencing it
allostasis - Answers - theory of stress response, describes how the human organism
"maintains physiological homeostasis through changing circumstances"
allostatic load - Answers - continued presence of a stressor that has caused challenges
or coping responses to be ineffective; causes "wear and tear" on the body
allostatic accommodation - Answers - the physiological process through which the brain
tries to find a new homeostasis, using a range of adaptive functioning ("stability through
change")
General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS) - Answers - a set of symptoms "was so general
that it was like a single burglar alarm that sounds, no matter what intrudes" the same
physiological response occurs regardless of whether a stressor is psychological or
physical
