You are one of the nurses monitoring the dining room during dinner. A male patient who has schizophrenia asks a table mate to "please pass the pepper." When the table mate does so, the first patient throws the pepper shaker at you
He or she screams, "Now look what you've done! There are spiders all over my food! I can't eat this! Get the spiders out of there!" Your best response is:
A.
"Those aren't spiders; that is the pepper you asked for!"
B.
"I don't see any spiders. Let's go to the game room for a little while before you try eating again."
C.
"Where are the spiders? I am also afraid of them!"
D.
"It is inappropriate for you to throw things; you need to go to the locked unit now."
ANS: B
This response acknowledges the patient's distress, describes reality, and then focuses on other behaviors. Response A is reality based, but it devalues the patient's view of reality. Response C is reinforcing the presence of spiders. Response D is punishing the patient for his psychosis.
You might also like to view...
__________ is a mathematical calculation to evaluate a person's size in relation to the average population based on his or her height and weight
Fill in the blank(s) with correct word
In the assessment of a client's abdomen, the abdomen is visually divided into four quadrants. The dividing lines for the quadrants are the:
1. midsternal line vertically and the horizontal line through the symphysis pubis. 2. midline of the body and the client's waistline. 3. vertical line through the xiphoid process and the horizontal line through the umbilicus. 4. horizontal line through the anterior iliac spine and the vertical line through the stomach.
The nurse is assessing a patient who has been admitted to the emergency department for a possible opioid overdose. Which assessment finding is characteristic of an opioid drug overdose?
a. Dilated pupils b. Restlessness c. Respiration rate of 6 breaths/min d. Heart rate of 55 beats/min
Which answers are best during an interview?
a. "Yes" and "no" answers b. Brief explanations c. Long explanations d. Written responses