Communication & Stakeholder Relations Flashcards

An orthopaedic nurse is preparing to communicate a critical lab value (low hemoglobin post-operatively) to the on-call physician by phone. Which approach is safest?

Answer: Use SBAR, read back orders received, and document the call with time, recipient, and response

Structured SBAR communication with read-back verification and documentation is the standard for safe critical value communication.

A newly hired orthopaedic nurse is unsure how to communicate a clinical concern to the attending physician. Which resource best supports safe communication?

Answer: Unit-specific communication protocols and mentorship from experienced staff

Unit protocols and mentorship provide new nurses with safe, structured pathways for communicating clinical concerns appropriately.

A patient is upset because they were not informed about a change in their surgery time. The nurse's best initial response is to:

Answer: Apologize for the lapse in communication, provide current accurate information, and address the patient's immediate concerns

Acknowledging the failure, apologizing, and correcting the information gap immediately restores trust and addresses the patient's immediate need.

Which nursing behavior best promotes psychological safety on an orthopaedic unit?

Answer: Actively inviting input from all team members and responding non-defensively to concerns

Psychological safety is built when team members feel their input is welcomed and that raising concerns will not lead to punishment or ridicule.

A patient post-total knee replacement tells the nurse they feel the physiotherapist is 'pushing too hard' and causing pain. The nurse should:

Answer: Assess the patient's pain, discuss findings with the physical therapist, and adjust the plan collaboratively

Assessing pain and collaborating with the PT to individualize the therapy plan addresses patient safety while maintaining interdisciplinary respect.

During a shift, a nurse notices that important post-operative instructions were not communicated to the patient by the previous shift. The best action is to:

Answer: Provide the missing education now, document what was taught and when, and raise the gap at the next huddle

Immediate provision of missing education protects patient safety, while documentation and reporting the gap at huddle prevents recurrence.

A patient asks the orthopaedic nurse to keep a conversation about medication side effects private from their spouse. The nurse should:

Answer: Respect the patient's confidentiality request, as patients have the right to control their own health information

HIPAA protects each patient's right to determine who receives their health information, regardless of relationship to the patient.