Every time the nurse enters the room of a postpartum patient who gave birth 3 hours ago, the patient asks something else about her birth experience. The nurse should:

Question

1. Answer questions quickly and try to divert her attention to other subjects.
2. Review the documentation of the birth experience and discuss it with her.
3. Contact the physician to warn him the patient might want to file a lawsuit, based on her preoccupation with the birth experience.
4. Submit a referral to Social Services because of possible obsessive behavior.

Answer 1

2
Rationale 1: Answering questions quickly and trying to divert the patient's attention trivializes her questions and does not allow her to sort out the reality from her fantasized experience.
Rationale 2: Reviewing the documentation of the birth experience and discussing it with the mother allows her to integrate the experience. Three hours after birth, the mother needs to talk about her perceptions of her labor and delivery.
Rationale 3: This patient's behavior is normal.
Rationale 4: Submitting a referral to Social Services is inappropriate, because this patient's behavior is normal.