Part 8 Flashcards
Empathy has been described by Rogers as:
A. sensing and non-judgmentally verbalising how one senses the other individual’s feelings and meanings
B. unconditional positive regard
C. being genuine and knowledgeable about oneself
D. accepting the patient’s point of view
A. sensing and non-judgmentally verbalising how one senses the other individual’s feelings and meanings
Rogers defines empathy in his therapeutic triad as sensing and non-judgmentally verbalising how one senses the other individual’s feelings and meanings. It is the ability to enter into the patient’s world, see things from their point of view and communicate this back to them accurately.
One way to help people to talk or engage in conversation is to:
A. provide incentives
B. ask open-ended questions
C. look at the floor when someone starts to talk
D. close your eyes when you ask a question
B. ask open-ended questions
Ways of encouraging the person to speak about their experience may vary. Ivey writes about the importance of ‘open invitations to talk’ or open-ended questions in encouraging communication in comparison with closed questions.
Saying things like ‘uh huh’ or ‘oh?’ or nodding your head or leaning forward are sometimes called:
A. empathy
B. annoying, and should be avoided
C. minimal encouragers and help facilitate conversation
D. non-verbal communication
C. minimal encouragers and help facilitate conversation
Minimal encouragers can indicate to the individual that the helper is following what they are saying. These can be non-verbal, such as the occasional eye contact, leaning forward or nodding the head, or verbal, such as ‘Oh?’, ‘So?’, ‘Then?’, ‘And?’, ‘Uh-huh’ or a restatement of the words spoken by the other person.
Advocacy can include:
A. a therapeutic health professional–client relationship
B. the promotion and protection of a client’s involvement in making decisions and providing informed consent
C. being a mediator between clients and relatives or friends, and health professionals
D. all the above
D. all the above
In her analysis of nursing literature Baldwin (2003) found that advocacy had three qualities: a therapeutic health professional–patient relationship; the promotion and protection of client’s involvement in making decisions and informed consent; and being a mediator between clients and relatives/friends and healthcare providers.
When a professional represents a client because the professional believes the client is disempowered or unable to speak for themselves, this is known as:
A. empowerment
B. professional care
C. advocacy
D. common sense
C. advocacy
Various codes of conduct and professional standards underline the importance of advocacy when working with clients (Baldwin 2003), although some have questioned this role and the thinking behind it.
What is a fundamental aspect of the health professional–client relationship?
A. That the client and health professional are matched on gender and age
B. Being able to communicate
C. That the health profesisonal speaks the same language as the client
D. None of the above
B. Being able to communicate
Being able to communicate is a fundamental aspect of the health professional–client relationship. Although it is important to be a competent professional in terms of an adequate knowledge base from which one works, it is important to remember that clients are fellow human beings who face the same life challenges as us. Health professionals need to be able to understand each individual client’s experience of illness and demonstrate to them that they do. Entering into other people’s lives is not simply the right of health professionals; it is a privilege given when the client consents to trusting us to treat or care for them.
Health professionals need to be aware of a client’s greater needs, and not just focus on the specific tasks at hand. Overall, a health professional needs to consider the client’s:
A. economic issues
B. psychological, spiritual and emotional needs as well as physical
C. hunger levels before treatment
D. none of the above
B. psychological, spiritual and emotional needs as well as physical
Stein-Parbury (2009) has pointed out that interactions between people in a healthcare setting have a purpose: the primary focus is the client; that is, what are this person’s needs at this time? This might not just be the immediately apparent problem. For example, a person may require an exercise program but be worried about how they will cope with it. It might be necessary to explore his/her fears. It is possible, especially when carrying out client care for the first few times, to become preoccupied with the tasks one is ‘doing’ to the client, rather than being aware of the individual’s needs – psychological and spiritual as well as physical.
This can also be a problem when an activity may become so much a routine that one doesn’t give much conscious thought to what they are doing.
Some of the issues that can impact on communication and care of patients are:
A. urgency
B. staff shortages
C. task-oriented duties
D. all the above
D. all the above
Many factors can influence the ability to work and communicate as part of a healthcare team. With the challenge of increased workloads, staff shortages, the urgency of completing tasks or making decisions within a certain timeframe impacting on health professionals on a frequent if not daily basis, their ability to communicate effectively may become compromised.
Eye contact, attentive body language, vocal style and verbal style were called ____________ by Ivey.
A. micro-skills
B. communication skills
C. empathy
D. acceptance
A. micro-skills
Ivey (2010) has written about the importance of what he calls attending behaviours. Others, including Egan (2010), have said similar things, but he organised them into a group of micro-skills that are the essence of good communication and which he believes are teachable. These are: Eye contact: Although some people will feel uncomfortable, to most, the culturally appropriate use of eye contact for a majority of the conversation will be experienced as supportive. Attentive body language: Adopt a relaxed, body stance that is natural. Usually this means leaning slightly forward.
Vocal style: While talking, be aware of one’s vocal pattern and tone.
Verbal style: Many health professionals early in their careers worry about saying the wrong thing. Try to focus on what has been said and attempt to respond naturally without changing topic or interrupting.
Conflict and difficulty among nursing staff has been called:
A. inappropriate behaviour
B. resilience
C. domestic violence
D. horizontal violence
D. horizontal violence
Nurses may have difficulties in working with each other that can escalate. This has been termed horizontal violence in the nursing literature (Roy 2007).
The Australian Nursing and Midwifery Council (ANMC) competencies include that the nurse should:
A. advocate for individual/groups and their rights
B. identify when resources are insufficient to meet care needs
C. facilitate informed decisions of individuals and groups
D. all the above
D. all the above
The ANMC (2006) nursing competency 2.4 states that the nurse: advocates for individuals/groups and their rights for nursing and healthcare within organisational and management structures; identifies when resources are insufficient to meet the care needs of individuals/groups; communicates skill mix requirements to meet the care needs of individuals/groups to management; protects the rights of individuals and groups and facilitates informed decisions; identifies and explains policies/practices that infringe on the rights of individuals or groups; clarifies policies, procedures and guidelines when the rights of individuals or groups are compromised; and recommends changes to policies, procedures and guidelines when rights are compromised.
Research has shown a strong correlation between delivering person-centred communication and:
A. effective treatment regimens
B. increased confidence
C. poor interpersonal skills
D. greater client satisfaction
D. greater client satisfaction
Research in the United States and the United Kingdom demonstrates a strong correlation between client satisfaction and the interpersonal skills of the health professional (Toma et al 2009).
Person-centred communication can be defined as:
A. a two-way process
B. both language and meaning being understood by the people involved
C. an accurate exchange of information
D. all the above
D. all the above
Person-centred communication is a two-way process in which the language and meaning in the message is ly understood by all parties involved, enabling an accurate exchange of information, thus enabling the client to participate in their own care (The Joint Commission 2010).
Culturally safe communication (intercultural communication) is achieved by which of the three following elements:
A. cultural sensitivity, cultural diffusion and acculturation
B. cultural sensitivity, cultural awareness and cultural safety
C. cultural awareness, acculturation and cultural safety
D. cultural awareness, cultural safety and cultural diffusion
B. cultural sensitivity, cultural awareness and cultural safety
Achieving cultural safety in healthcare practice includes three key elements: cultural awareness, cultural sensitivity and cultural safety. These concepts, though related, should be understood in their own right to form culturally safe communication with others.
When is self-disclosure appropriate to use?
A. At all times
B. If it makes the health profesional feel better
C. Occasionally if it helps meet the needs of a client
D. It should never be used
C. Occasionally if it helps meet the needs of a client
While self-disclosure is unacceptable in most contexts, it may be acceptable and appropriate in special circumstances. While generally health professionals should not disclose information about themselves to clients, there may be times when select and limited disclosure may be judged helpful in meeting the therapeutic needs of the client.
