Question

Mrs. A. V. is an 80 y/o female who was admitted to the medical unit for the treatment of DKA. Her serum blood glucose has now stabilized and trends around 200 mg/dL. The physician has placed in orders for her to be discharged. You are the nurse caring for the patient and preparing the discharge packet with patient education materials. Mrs. A. V. has been inquiring about a list of various food suggestions because she wants to adopt healthier eating habits. As you enter the room and begin to provide education on the various types of recommended foods, Mrs. A. V. begins to become teary-eyed and sobs. She states, "My husband...he used to be the one who cooked for me all the time." 1. What would be an appropriate response to her statement? Mrs. A. V. shares that her husband passed away 6 months ago from a heart attack. She cries even more and begins to turn away and place herself into fetal position with the blanket over her head. 2. What are some appropriate steps for you to take next? Explain at least 5 of the therapeutic communication techniques you can utilize at this time. When listing the techniques, provide an example of how you would use it in this case with Mrs. A. V. 3. Explain at least 5 non-therapeutic communication approaches that you would avoid using. 4. What do you suspect Mrs. A. V. could be dealing with? What questions would you ask to further support your inference?

Answer 1

1) I will stay calm and consider their feelings and have empathy on them. I will tell them to have self confidence, courage, and emotional stability to move on in any situations. Face every thing with a positive attitude, it will help you to have a good physical and emotional health.

2) The theraputic communication i adopt with this patient are

Active listening, processing and comprehending client’s words and process this words in context of clients situations is done initially.

Inorder to give the client fully and openly discuss their feelings, opinions and beliefs i keep some silence. I make feel them i am listening to their words.

I will focus on the theraputic plan to be adopted to the patient even she talk about their families and non health related issues. I will say that “thank you for sharing this information with me and now we can talk about the diabetes and the medication you have to take after leaving hospital”

As i need full and detailed information i will ask open ended questions so that clients full and free ventilation and expression of their own feelings and beliefs are known.

Clarification and validation is done inorder to get complete and correct message without any errors and bias and false assumptions. I may ask like” iam I correct that you told me about your food habits to be changed?”

I will encourage her to provide more details and information about the health care problem.

3) Non verbal communication to avoid are :

Defending their talk by verbal attacks

Advising them or tell in a order tone that what they have to do.

Disagreeing the idea that patient expressed.

Interpreting while patient is talking.

Opposing their views.

4) I think the patient is in depression after the death of her husband.

To support my interference i may ask questions like,

How is your sleep

What all are the thoughts that came to your mind frequently?

how is your energy?

do your prefer to stay home rather than going out?