Mental Capacity & Professional Communication Flashcards
6 cards from real NMC OSCE practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 6 Mental Capacity & Professional Communication flashcards as text
During a ward handover, what is the most effective communication structure to ensure patient safety?
Answer: Use a structured tool such as SBAR and ensure all incoming staff have the opportunity to ask questions
Structured handover tools such as SBAR (Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation) ensure consistent, complete information transfer. A structured approach reduces omissions, supports clinical prioritisation, and allows staff to ask questions about high-risk patients.
A patient becomes aggressive on the ward. Which de-escalation technique is most appropriate?
Answer: Use a calm, non-threatening tone, acknowledge their feelings, and maintain a safe distance
De-escalation uses calm verbal and non-verbal communication to reduce agitation. This includes a calm tone, non-threatening body language, validating the patient's feelings, and giving them space. Physical restraint should only be used as a last resort when de-escalation has failed.
A patient asks a nurse not to share their diagnosis with their family. What should the nurse do?
Answer: Respect the patient's wishes and maintain confidentiality unless there is a safeguarding concern
Patients have a right to confidentiality under the NMC Code, GDPR, and common law. The nurse must respect the patient's explicit request unless there is an overriding public interest or safeguarding concern. Family members have no automatic right to a patient's health information.
What does the term 'therapeutic communication' mean in nursing practice?
Answer: Purposeful, patient-centred communication that supports the patient's emotional and psychological wellbeing
Therapeutic communication is intentional, patient-centred communication that builds the therapeutic relationship and supports the patient's wellbeing. It involves active listening, empathy, open-ended questions, and non-verbal attunement.
A patient is from a non-English-speaking background. A family member offers to interpret. What is the safest approach?
Answer: Use a professional interpreter service to ensure accuracy and confidentiality
Professional interpreter services ensure accurate clinical communication, preserve confidentiality, and avoid placing family members in difficult roles where they may filter, alter, or be unable to interpret clinical terminology accurately. Using untrained interpreters is a patient safety risk.
When documenting patient care in the UK, which principle underpins all nursing records?
Answer: Documentation should be timely, accurate, factual, and legible
NMC guidance requires that nursing records are factual, accurate, legible, dated, signed, and completed as soon as possible after care is given. Records serve as a legal document, support continuity of care, and provide evidence of care given.