The clinical coordinator is observing a nursing student as he provides care to a patient who is in early labor. Which of the student's actions should be addressed for correction during the student's daily clinical evaluation?

Question

1. Application of a fetal heart monitor followed by an explanation of the reason for its use
2. Upon entering the patient's room, speaking with the patient prior to looking at the fetal heart monitor
3. Using layman's terms to provide the patient with an explanation of the rationale for electronic fetal monitoring
4. Incorporating cues that arise from intuition or from observations of the patient and family as opposed to focusing on the fetal heart monitor

Answer 1

Correct Answer: 1
Rationale 1: Before using the electronic fetal monitor, the nurse needs to fully explain to the patient the reason for its use and the information that it can provide.
Rationale 2: The nurse can acknowledge the patient's need to be the central focus by always speaking to and looking at the woman when entering the room, before looking at the monitor.
Rationale 3: The technical language of electronic fetal monitoring and other procedures may act as a barrier, isolating the patient and emphasizing her experience.
Rationale 4: To prevent dehumanization of the nurse-patient relationship, the nurse should incorporate cues that may arise from intuition or from observations of or interactions with the patient and family, as opposed to focusing only upon objective monitor-based data.