During the taking of a medical history, a patient who is addicted to heroin reports he only uses the drug a few times a week. What is the nurse's best response when trying to disclose more pre-cise information?
a. "OK. You only use heroin two times a week?"
b. "What do you mean when you say ‘a few?'"
c. "Are you saying that in a week's time would you use heroin only two times?"
d. "Rate your weekly usage on a scale of 1 to 15."
D
When trying to get a health history on a patient with a substance abuse problem, the best method is an open discussion of the drug use. The discussion should be open and nonjudgmental. By re-questing a scale, the patient's response will be more informative.
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