CELBAN Telephone Communication in Healthcare 3

Question 1

A nurse must communicate a critical lab value by phone to a physician. According to best practice, after delivering the value, the nurse should:

Accepted Answer

Document the time of the call, the physician contacted, and the value reported

Answer

Trust that the physician will document the conversation

Answer

Wait for the physician to call back to confirm receipt

Answer

Report the value verbally to a colleague as backup

Question 2

Which word or phrase in a telephone conversation signals that the nurse needs to escalate the call to a charge nurse or on-call physician immediately?

Accepted Answer

'The patient suddenly became unresponsive.'

Answer

'The patient is asking for extra blankets.'

Answer

'The family would like to schedule a meeting next week.'

Answer

'The patient's meal tray arrived late.'

Question 3

During a telephone triage call, a patient reports crushing chest pain radiating to the left arm. The nurse should FIRST:

Accepted Answer

Instruct the patient to call 911 immediately and stay on the line with them

Answer

Ask the patient to come to the clinic at their earliest convenience

Answer

Tell the patient to take an antacid and monitor symptoms

Answer

Schedule a same-day appointment

Question 4

A nurse is documenting a telephone order and is unsure of the spelling of a medication name. The best action is to:

Accepted Answer

Ask the physician to spell the medication name and then repeat it back

Answer

Guess the spelling based on how it sounds

Answer

Look it up after hanging up and assume the recall is accurate

Answer

Ask a colleague who may not have heard the call

Question 5

When a nurse leaves a message with an answering service for an on-call physician, which element is MOST critical to include?

Accepted Answer

A callback number where the nurse can be reached directly

Answer

A full summary of the patient's past medical history

Answer

The patient's insurance information

Answer

The names of the patient's family members

Question 6

A nurse on a telephone call notices the caller becomes emotionally distressed while discussing a family member's prognosis. The most therapeutic response is:

Accepted Answer

Acknowledge their feelings, pause briefly, and offer to connect them with the most appropriate support or person

Answer

Continue providing clinical information without addressing the emotion

Answer

Tell the caller that they should remain calm

Answer

End the call and suggest they come in for a meeting

Question 7

After completing a telephone consultation using SBAR, the nurse receives a new order. What is the nurse's final required step before ending the call?

Accepted Answer

Read back the order to confirm accuracy and ask the physician to acknowledge it

Answer

Say goodbye and hang up

Answer

Email the order to the physician for their records

Answer

Page the charge nurse to also receive the order