The nurse is caring for a patient with severe arthritis and notices a written pain medication order that appears to have an extremely high dose. She places a call to the physician to question the prescription dose

Question

Which statement below best describes an assertive communication style by the nurse in interacting with the physician regarding the pain medication order?
a. "I'm calling about the pain medication prescription for Mrs. Garcia. The dose is too high."
b. "Sorry to bother you but I'm not sure about the dose of pain medication you prescribed for Mrs. Garcia."
c. "I'm concerned about the medication dose you prescribed for Mrs. Garcia."
d. "You may disagree with me, but the dose for Mrs. Garcia is too high."

Answer 1

C
Effective communication and teamwork are essential to the delivery of high-quality, safe patient care. To avoid communication failures that can lead to unanticipated adverse events in patients, nurses must speak up when they have concerns and take the necessary steps to communicate assertively and collaboratively with the healthcare team. To advocate for patients, nurses must question care decisions that don't seem right and assertively discuss errors or poor clinical judgment. In this item, the most appropriate and assertive communication is to state that there is a concern regarding the dose of the medication. This will lead to collaborative dialogue between the nurse and physician. This is an open and honest response. The response "sorry to bother you" is ineffective, as it is self-effacing, apologetic, and inappropriate in a professional role. Stating to the physician that the dose is too high may be offensive, as it is too direct, challenging, and aggressive. In fact, the dose may be acceptable. Stating, "You may disagree with me but . . ." is also self-effacing, as the nurse is not defending her concern for the safety of the patient.