The Nurse is interviewing their patient. The nurse states "Can you tell me exactly what you
feel when you are having difficulty catching your breath?" Which of the following communi-
cation techniques is the nurse utilizing?
A) Attending to cues
B) Paraphrasing
C) Focusing
D) Summarizing - ANSWER C) Focusing
The nurse is obtaining a family health history when the client reports that a grandparent has
type 1 diabetes. Where can the nurse document this information?
A) Present health/ illness
B) Family Genogram
C) Past Medical History
D) Health Belief Model - ANSWER B) Family Genogram
The Nurse is interviewing a patient with acute pain. Which of the following actions by the
nurse should be preformed first?
A) Attempt to reduce the pain and complete the interview later
B) Interview the family to get the information needed
C) Document why the interview could not be completed at this time
D) Proceed very quickly with the interview - ANSWER A) Attempt to reduce the pain and
complete the interview later
The nurse is interviewing her patient. The nurse says to the client "It sounds like you do not
like your new job because it is more stressful than you anticipated." Which of the following
types of communication is the nurse utilizing?
1
,A) Questioning
B) Paraphrasing
C) Attending
D) Listening - ANSWER B) Paraphrasing
In an interview, the nurse may find it necessary to take notes to aid his or her memory later.
Which statement is true regarding note-taking?
A) Note-taking may impede the nurse's observation of the patient's nonverbal behaviors.
B) Note-taking allows the patient to continue at his or her own pace as the nurse records
what is said.
C) Note-taking allows the nurse to shift attention away from the patient, resulting in an in-
creased comfort level.
D) Note-taking allows the nurse to break eye contact with the patient, which may increase
his or her level of comfort. - ANSWER A) Note-taking may impede the nurse's observation
of the patient's nonverbal behaviors.
Page: 31 Some use of history forms and note-taking may be unavoidable. But be aware that
note-taking during the interview has disadvantages. It breaks eye contact too often, and it
shifts attention away from the patient, which diminishes his or her sense of importance. It
also may interrupt the patient's narrative flow, and it impedes the observation of the pa-
tient's nonverbal behavior.
During an interview, the nurse states, "You mentioned shortness of breath. Tell me more
about that." Which verbal skill is used with this statement?
A) Reflection
B) Facilitation
C) Direct question
D) Open-ended question - ANSWER D) Open-ended question
2
, Page: 32 The open-ended question asks for narrative information. It states the topic to be
discussed but only in general terms. The nurse should use it to begin the interview, to intro-
duce a new section of questions, and whenever the person introduces a new topic.
A nurse is taking complete health histories on all of the patients attending a wellness work-
shop. On the history form, one of the written questions asks, "You don't smoke, drink, or
take drugs, do you?" This question is an example of:
A) talking too much.
B) using confrontation.
C) using biased or leading questions.
D) using blunt language to deal with distasteful topics. - ANSWER C) using biased or lead-
ing questions.
Page: 36 This is an example of using leading or biased questions. Asking, "You don't smoke,
do you?" implies that one answer is "better" than another. If the person wants to please
someone, he or she is either forced to answer in a way corresponding to their implied values
or is made to feel guilty when admitting the other answer.
During an interview, a parent of a hospitalized child is sitting in an open position. As the in-
terviewer begins to discuss his son's treatment, however, he suddenly crosses his arms
against his chest and crosses his legs. This would suggest that the parent is:
A) just changing positions.
B) more comfortable in this position.
C) tired and needs a break from the interview.
D) uncomfortable talking about his son's treatment. - ANSWER D) uncomfortable talking
about his son's treatment.
Page: 37 Note the person's position. An open position with the extension of large muscle
groups shows relaxation, physical comfort, and a willingness to share information. A closed
position with the arms and legs crossed tends to look defensive and anxious. Note any
3
feel when you are having difficulty catching your breath?" Which of the following communi-
cation techniques is the nurse utilizing?
A) Attending to cues
B) Paraphrasing
C) Focusing
D) Summarizing - ANSWER C) Focusing
The nurse is obtaining a family health history when the client reports that a grandparent has
type 1 diabetes. Where can the nurse document this information?
A) Present health/ illness
B) Family Genogram
C) Past Medical History
D) Health Belief Model - ANSWER B) Family Genogram
The Nurse is interviewing a patient with acute pain. Which of the following actions by the
nurse should be preformed first?
A) Attempt to reduce the pain and complete the interview later
B) Interview the family to get the information needed
C) Document why the interview could not be completed at this time
D) Proceed very quickly with the interview - ANSWER A) Attempt to reduce the pain and
complete the interview later
The nurse is interviewing her patient. The nurse says to the client "It sounds like you do not
like your new job because it is more stressful than you anticipated." Which of the following
types of communication is the nurse utilizing?
1
,A) Questioning
B) Paraphrasing
C) Attending
D) Listening - ANSWER B) Paraphrasing
In an interview, the nurse may find it necessary to take notes to aid his or her memory later.
Which statement is true regarding note-taking?
A) Note-taking may impede the nurse's observation of the patient's nonverbal behaviors.
B) Note-taking allows the patient to continue at his or her own pace as the nurse records
what is said.
C) Note-taking allows the nurse to shift attention away from the patient, resulting in an in-
creased comfort level.
D) Note-taking allows the nurse to break eye contact with the patient, which may increase
his or her level of comfort. - ANSWER A) Note-taking may impede the nurse's observation
of the patient's nonverbal behaviors.
Page: 31 Some use of history forms and note-taking may be unavoidable. But be aware that
note-taking during the interview has disadvantages. It breaks eye contact too often, and it
shifts attention away from the patient, which diminishes his or her sense of importance. It
also may interrupt the patient's narrative flow, and it impedes the observation of the pa-
tient's nonverbal behavior.
During an interview, the nurse states, "You mentioned shortness of breath. Tell me more
about that." Which verbal skill is used with this statement?
A) Reflection
B) Facilitation
C) Direct question
D) Open-ended question - ANSWER D) Open-ended question
2
, Page: 32 The open-ended question asks for narrative information. It states the topic to be
discussed but only in general terms. The nurse should use it to begin the interview, to intro-
duce a new section of questions, and whenever the person introduces a new topic.
A nurse is taking complete health histories on all of the patients attending a wellness work-
shop. On the history form, one of the written questions asks, "You don't smoke, drink, or
take drugs, do you?" This question is an example of:
A) talking too much.
B) using confrontation.
C) using biased or leading questions.
D) using blunt language to deal with distasteful topics. - ANSWER C) using biased or lead-
ing questions.
Page: 36 This is an example of using leading or biased questions. Asking, "You don't smoke,
do you?" implies that one answer is "better" than another. If the person wants to please
someone, he or she is either forced to answer in a way corresponding to their implied values
or is made to feel guilty when admitting the other answer.
During an interview, a parent of a hospitalized child is sitting in an open position. As the in-
terviewer begins to discuss his son's treatment, however, he suddenly crosses his arms
against his chest and crosses his legs. This would suggest that the parent is:
A) just changing positions.
B) more comfortable in this position.
C) tired and needs a break from the interview.
D) uncomfortable talking about his son's treatment. - ANSWER D) uncomfortable talking
about his son's treatment.
Page: 37 Note the person's position. An open position with the extension of large muscle
groups shows relaxation, physical comfort, and a willingness to share information. A closed
position with the arms and legs crossed tends to look defensive and anxious. Note any
3
