Patient Communication Skills Flashcards

A post-anesthesia patient asks the nurse, 'Did they find anything bad during my surgery?' The surgeon has not yet spoken to the patient. The MOST appropriate nursing response is:

Answer: 'I'll make sure your surgeon comes to speak with you about the surgical findings as soon as possible.'

The nurse should facilitate communication with the surgeon while avoiding disclosure of findings that are the physician's responsibility to convey.

A pediatric patient (age 7) in the PACU is crying and unable to articulate their discomfort. Which assessment and communication strategy is MOST appropriate?

Answer: Use a validated pediatric pain tool such as the FACES scale and speak directly to the child using simple, age-appropriate language

Age-appropriate pain tools and direct, simple communication with the child respect their developmental level and yield more accurate assessment data.

When a patient reports that their pain is unrelieved after analgesia in the PACU, the nurse's FIRST communication action should be to:

Answer: Acknowledge the patient's report, reassess pain characteristics, and notify the provider

Acknowledging the patient's report, conducting a thorough reassessment, and escalating to the provider ensures the unrelieved pain is addressed promptly.

A post-anesthesia nurse is providing care to a patient from a culture where direct eye contact is considered disrespectful. The MOST culturally competent response is to:

Answer: Reduce direct eye contact and adapt communication style to the patient's cultural preference

Adapting non-verbal communication to the patient's cultural norms demonstrates cultural humility and improves the therapeutic relationship.

A patient is being discharged from the PACU to the surgical unit. During the SBAR handoff, which component ensures safe communication of the patient's expressed concerns?

Answer: Recommendation — include any unresolved patient concerns or pending questions

The Recommendation component of SBAR is the appropriate place to communicate unresolved patient concerns and specific requests for follow-up.

A PACU patient with dementia becomes confused and repeatedly calls out for a family member. The MOST appropriate nursing intervention is to:

Answer: Use a calm, reassuring tone, provide simple reorientation cues, and contact the family if policy allows

Non-pharmacologic communication strategies including calm reassurance and reorientation are the first-line intervention for confused patients with dementia.

After completing discharge teaching, the patient says, 'I think I understand, but I'm not sure I'll remember all of this.' The BEST nursing action is to:

Answer: Review key points, provide written instructions in plain language, and confirm availability of a follow-up contact number

Combining verbal review with written plain-language materials and a contact resource addresses memory concerns and supports safe discharge.