The nurse caring for a patient on a regimen of four medications to treat tuberculosis discovers that the patient isn't taking all of his medications. What's appropriate for the nurse to say to the patient?
A) "Don't you realize that resistance can develop if you don't take your medications properly?"
B) "You need to take your medication as you were instructed. Do you need supervision?"
C) "Why aren't you taking your medications? Don't you want to get better?"
D) "Taking many medications can be difficult. Tell me about the difficulties you're having."
Ans: D
Feedback: Acknowledging that a multi-drug regimen can be difficult conveys empathy. Asking the patient to discuss difficulties promotes active participation. The nurse can then provide more education and help remove potential obstacles to compliance such as lack of finances. The other responses are closed questions that require only a yes-or-no answer. They also have an adversarial tone and are judgmental, blocking further therapeutic communication. "Why" questions should be avoided because they can be interpreted as accusations, making the patient defensive.
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