A patient telephones a crisis intervention hotline. The nurse assigned to this center assesses that the patient is experiencing a crisis. What is the most appropriate action for the nurse to take?

Question

a. Take control of the situation and tell the patient what needs to be done.
b. Define the problem at hand and ensure that the patient is safe.
c. Ask the patient how he would like to han-dle the crisis and follow through.
d. Ask the patient to list all of his problems and prioritize which to deal with first.

Answer 1

B
Crisis intervention begins with defining the problem, ensuring patient safety, and providing sup-port. First determine that a patient is safe and is not at risk for injury to self or others, and then use crisis intervention to examine alternatives, make plans, and obtain a commitment to positive action from the patient. Ideally these last three steps are completed collaboratively with a patient, but a patient in crisis may be unable to participate actively and may need a very directive ap-proach or a crisis interventionist. Emphasize focusing on the specific problem, and help a patient to avoid all-encompassing, catastrophic interpretations.