CPAN Patient Communication Skills 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A post-anesthesia patient with hearing loss is unable to read lips due to your mask. What is the BEST communication strategy?
- Speak louder and more slowly
- Use a whiteboard or written notes (Correct answer)
- Ask a family member to interpret
- Remove your mask briefly to allow lip reading
Correct answer: Use a whiteboard or written notes
Written communication via whiteboard or notepad ensures clear, accurate exchange when auditory and lip-reading methods are unavailable.
Question 2: When explaining discharge instructions to a drowsy post-anesthesia patient, which timing principle is MOST important?
- Provide all instructions immediately upon PACU arrival
- Deliver instructions only when the patient is fully alert and oriented (Correct answer)
- Give instructions to the family only, not the patient
- Complete teaching before Aldrete score reaches 9
Correct answer: Deliver instructions only when the patient is fully alert and oriented
Residual anesthesia impairs cognition and memory retention, so discharge teaching must occur when the patient is fully alert.
Question 3: A patient asks why they feel so cold after surgery. Which response BEST demonstrates therapeutic communication?
- 'Everyone feels that way — it's normal.'
- 'Anesthesia and the cool OR environment lower your body temperature; we are warming you now.' (Correct answer)
- 'Don't worry about it; we have a warm blanket for you.'
- 'It's just a side effect you'll have to tolerate for a while.'
Correct answer: 'Anesthesia and the cool OR environment lower your body temperature; we are warming you now.'
Providing a brief, honest explanation addresses the patient's concern and reduces anxiety while demonstrating professional competence.
Question 4: When using the numeric pain scale with a post-anesthesia patient, the nurse should:
- Suggest a number based on the patient's facial expression
- Ask the patient to rate pain AND describe its quality and location (Correct answer)
- Only use the scale if the patient is fully alert
- Accept any number above 5 as indicating severe pain requiring immediate opioids
Correct answer: Ask the patient to rate pain AND describe its quality and location
A comprehensive pain assessment includes numeric rating, quality, and location to guide appropriate and individualized treatment.
Question 5: A PACU nurse is caring for a patient who only speaks Mandarin. The facility has a telephonic interpreter service. The MOST appropriate action is to:
- Ask the patient's bilingual family member to interpret all clinical information
- Use the telephonic interpreter for all clinical communication with the patient (Correct answer)
- Use gestures and pictures exclusively to avoid delay
- Document 'language barrier' and defer communication to the floor nurse
Correct answer: Use the telephonic interpreter for all clinical communication with the patient
Professional interpreter services ensure accurate clinical communication and protect patient safety and rights better than ad hoc methods.
Question 6: Which behavior BEST demonstrates active listening when a post-anesthesia patient expresses fear about their diagnosis?
- Immediately reassure the patient that everything will be fine
- Maintain eye contact, nod, and reflect back the patient's concern before responding (Correct answer)
- Redirect the patient to focus on the recovery process
- Document the concern and notify the physician without further discussion
Correct answer: Maintain eye contact, nod, and reflect back the patient's concern before responding
Active listening techniques such as eye contact, nodding, and reflection validate the patient's feelings and build therapeutic rapport.
Question 7: A patient in the PACU appears anxious but denies pain when asked. The BEST next step is to:
- Accept the patient's denial and continue routine monitoring
- Explore the patient's concerns using open-ended questions (Correct answer)
- Administer anxiolytic medication per protocol
- Notify the anesthesiologist immediately
Correct answer: Explore the patient's concerns using open-ended questions
Open-ended questions encourage the patient to express underlying fears or concerns that may not emerge from yes/no questioning.
CPAN Patient Communication Skills 2
A post-anesthesia patient with hearing loss is unable to read lips due to your mask.
What is the BEST communication strategy?