A nurse provides a brief but concise orientation to the use of the room's telephone and television to a newly admitted older client experiencing abdominal pain

Question

The client's daughter later reports that her father attempted to call her but was never shown how to use the telephone. The most likely cause for the client's apparent lack of knowledge retention is:
1. Admission to the hospital has caused mild confusion that is not atypical in older clients
2. The pain was distracting him from focusing on the information when it was pro-vided
3. He is experiencing forgetfulness regarding newly introduced nonessential infor-mation
4. The nurse did not take adequate time to explain the use of either the telephone or the television

Answer 1

ANS: 2
Timing is critical in communication. Even though a message is clear, poor timing prevents it from being effective. Do not begin routine teaching when a client is in severe pain or emotional dis-tress. Although the other options may affect client retention of information, the scenario did not provide reason to believe that any of the options rather than poor timing was the primary factor.