,NSG 436 Exam 2 Leadership, Ethics, and Policy in Health Care
Questions And Answers 2026/2027 Grand canyon university
Q1. Which communication technique provides a structured way to
communicate a patient's immediate situation, relevant background,
assessment, and recommendation?
A) Fishbone analysis
B) Huddle
C) SBAR
D) Performance appraisal
Correct Answer: C) SBAR
Rationale: SBAR organizes critical communication into Situation,
Background, Assessment, and Recommendation or Request, helping team
members communicate important information concisely.
Q2. Which action best demonstrates closed-loop communication?
A) The sender gives an instruction and assumes it was understood.
B) The receiver repeats back the message and the sender confirms it.
C) The sender writes the message without speaking to the receiver.
D) The receiver waits until the end of the shift to respond.
Correct Answer: B) The receiver repeats back the message and the sender
confirms it.
Rationale: Closed-loop communication verifies that the intended message
was heard and understood, reducing communication errors during team
interactions.
Q3. A nurse says, “The patient's blood pressure is 82/48, and I am
concerned about worsening shock.” Which communication tool best
supports the next step of escalation?
A) SBAR
B) Performance appraisal
C) Pareto analysis
D) Staffing matrix
Correct Answer: A) SBAR
Rationale: SBAR provides a concise structure for communicating urgent
clinical information and requesting appropriate action.
,Q4. Which outcome is most likely when health-care team members
communicate effectively?
A) Increased duplication of effort
B) Reduced patient safety
C) Decreased trust
D) Improved coordination and patient outcomes
Correct Answer: D) Improved coordination and patient outcomes
Rationale: Effective communication improves shared understanding,
coordination, trust, and the team's ability to identify and address patient-
safety concerns.
Q5. Which behavior best demonstrates psychological safety within a
health-care team?
A) Staff members can raise concerns without fear of humiliation or
retaliation.
B) Errors are hidden to protect the organization.
C) Junior staff are discouraged from questioning decisions.
D) Team members avoid difficult conversations.
Correct Answer: A) Staff members can raise concerns without fear of
humiliation or retaliation.
Rationale: Psychological safety supports speaking up, asking questions,
reporting concerns, and sharing information that may be important to patient
safety.
Q6. Which communication approach is most appropriate when a
team member's behavior is interfering with patient safety?
A) Ignore the behavior.
B) Address the concern respectfully and directly.
C) Discuss the person with unrelated coworkers.
D) Post criticism on social media.
Correct Answer: B) Address the concern respectfully and directly.
Rationale: Direct, respectful communication addresses the problem while
preserving professionalism and keeping attention on patient safety.
Q7. Which TeamSTEPPS tool allows a team to pause briefly and
reassess a changing patient situation?
, A) Huddle
B) Resume review
C) Performance appraisal
D) Incident report
Correct Answer: A) Huddle
Rationale: A huddle is a brief team discussion used to update the plan,
address changes, redistribute work, and maintain a shared mental model.
Q8. Which statement best describes a team debrief?
A) A process for assigning blame
B) A scheduled employee evaluation
C) A brief review of team performance after an event
D) A replacement for patient handoff
Correct Answer: C) A brief review of team performance after an event
Rationale: A debrief allows the team to review what happened, identify
strengths and problems, and improve future performance.
Q9. Which action is most consistent with nonviolent communication?
A) Using personal attacks to force agreement
B) Describing observations and needs without blaming
C) Avoiding all disagreement
D) Using threats to obtain compliance
Correct Answer: B) Describing observations and needs without blaming
Rationale: Nonviolent communication emphasizes respectful expression of
observations, feelings, needs, and requests rather than blame or personal
attacks.
Q10. Which factor is most likely to interfere with effective team
communication?
A) Shared goals
B) Active listening
C) Clear role expectations
D) Unclear responsibilities and assumptions
Correct Answer: D) Unclear responsibilities and assumptions
Rationale: Ambiguous roles and assumptions create communication gaps
and increase the chance that important information or tasks will be missed.
Questions And Answers 2026/2027 Grand canyon university
Q1. Which communication technique provides a structured way to
communicate a patient's immediate situation, relevant background,
assessment, and recommendation?
A) Fishbone analysis
B) Huddle
C) SBAR
D) Performance appraisal
Correct Answer: C) SBAR
Rationale: SBAR organizes critical communication into Situation,
Background, Assessment, and Recommendation or Request, helping team
members communicate important information concisely.
Q2. Which action best demonstrates closed-loop communication?
A) The sender gives an instruction and assumes it was understood.
B) The receiver repeats back the message and the sender confirms it.
C) The sender writes the message without speaking to the receiver.
D) The receiver waits until the end of the shift to respond.
Correct Answer: B) The receiver repeats back the message and the sender
confirms it.
Rationale: Closed-loop communication verifies that the intended message
was heard and understood, reducing communication errors during team
interactions.
Q3. A nurse says, “The patient's blood pressure is 82/48, and I am
concerned about worsening shock.” Which communication tool best
supports the next step of escalation?
A) SBAR
B) Performance appraisal
C) Pareto analysis
D) Staffing matrix
Correct Answer: A) SBAR
Rationale: SBAR provides a concise structure for communicating urgent
clinical information and requesting appropriate action.
,Q4. Which outcome is most likely when health-care team members
communicate effectively?
A) Increased duplication of effort
B) Reduced patient safety
C) Decreased trust
D) Improved coordination and patient outcomes
Correct Answer: D) Improved coordination and patient outcomes
Rationale: Effective communication improves shared understanding,
coordination, trust, and the team's ability to identify and address patient-
safety concerns.
Q5. Which behavior best demonstrates psychological safety within a
health-care team?
A) Staff members can raise concerns without fear of humiliation or
retaliation.
B) Errors are hidden to protect the organization.
C) Junior staff are discouraged from questioning decisions.
D) Team members avoid difficult conversations.
Correct Answer: A) Staff members can raise concerns without fear of
humiliation or retaliation.
Rationale: Psychological safety supports speaking up, asking questions,
reporting concerns, and sharing information that may be important to patient
safety.
Q6. Which communication approach is most appropriate when a
team member's behavior is interfering with patient safety?
A) Ignore the behavior.
B) Address the concern respectfully and directly.
C) Discuss the person with unrelated coworkers.
D) Post criticism on social media.
Correct Answer: B) Address the concern respectfully and directly.
Rationale: Direct, respectful communication addresses the problem while
preserving professionalism and keeping attention on patient safety.
Q7. Which TeamSTEPPS tool allows a team to pause briefly and
reassess a changing patient situation?
, A) Huddle
B) Resume review
C) Performance appraisal
D) Incident report
Correct Answer: A) Huddle
Rationale: A huddle is a brief team discussion used to update the plan,
address changes, redistribute work, and maintain a shared mental model.
Q8. Which statement best describes a team debrief?
A) A process for assigning blame
B) A scheduled employee evaluation
C) A brief review of team performance after an event
D) A replacement for patient handoff
Correct Answer: C) A brief review of team performance after an event
Rationale: A debrief allows the team to review what happened, identify
strengths and problems, and improve future performance.
Q9. Which action is most consistent with nonviolent communication?
A) Using personal attacks to force agreement
B) Describing observations and needs without blaming
C) Avoiding all disagreement
D) Using threats to obtain compliance
Correct Answer: B) Describing observations and needs without blaming
Rationale: Nonviolent communication emphasizes respectful expression of
observations, feelings, needs, and requests rather than blame or personal
attacks.
Q10. Which factor is most likely to interfere with effective team
communication?
A) Shared goals
B) Active listening
C) Clear role expectations
D) Unclear responsibilities and assumptions
Correct Answer: D) Unclear responsibilities and assumptions
Rationale: Ambiguous roles and assumptions create communication gaps
and increase the chance that important information or tasks will be missed.
