Mr. Dhaoush Rao, a 56-year-old male, expresses to the nursing officer that he is feeling nauseated after taking his medication. The nursing officer says, 'Surely you don't think I gave you the wrong pill'. The communication technique used is:

1. A

   Rejecting

2. B

   Passing judgment

3. C

   Probing

4. D

   Challenging

Appeared in: UPUMS Nsg officer-2023

Explanation

• The nurse's response, "Surely you don't think I gave you the wrong pill," is a classic example of the non-therapeutic technique known as 'Challenging'.
• Challenging forces the patient to defend their feelings or perceptions, rather than allowing them to express their concerns openly.
• This type of response is defensive and shifts the focus from the patient's actual problem (nausea) to the nurse's feelings.
• It invalidates the patient's experience and creates a barrier to effective communication and trust.

Why Other Options Were Wrong

• Option A: Rejecting involves refusing to consider the patient's concern at all. The nurse did not reject the topic but responded to it in a defensive manner.
• Option B: Passing judgment involves imposing the nurse's own values by labeling the patient's thought as right or wrong. While challenging has a judgmental tone, it is more specifically about demanding proof.
• Option C: Probing is persistent questioning to obtain information the patient may not want to share. The nurse's statement was a defensive declaration, not a series of questions.

Related Visual

Clinical Relevance

• Nursing practice connection: Safe nursing care depends on performing Non-therapeutic communication techniques in nursing in the correct sequence, documenting the action clearly, and monitoring for the expected response.
• Using non-therapeutic techniques like challenging erodes patient trust, hinders accurate assessment, and can lead to the patient withholding important information in the future.
• A therapeutic response focuses on the patient's needs. The priority is to acknowledge the symptom (nausea) and investigate its cause, not to defend one's actions.
• What if the patient had directly accused the nurse, saying, "You gave me the wrong pill!"? The correct initial response is still therapeutic and safety-oriented: "Tell me what makes you think that," while simultaneously beginning a systematic check of the Medication Administration Record (MAR) and the dispensed medication to verify accuracy.

How to Approach the Question

• First, analyze the patient's statement. The patient is reporting a symptom: "I am feeling nauseated."
• Next, analyze the nurse's response: "Surely you don't think I gave you the wrong pill." Notice how this response shifts the focus from the patient's symptom to a potential (and unstated) accusation.
• Recall the definitions of non-therapeutic communication techniques. These are communication 'blocks' that hinder conversation.
• Evaluate the nurse's statement against the options. The statement puts the patient on the defensive and demands they justify their feelings. This directly matches the definition of 'Challenging'.
• Eliminate the other options by comparing them. The nurse isn't refusing to talk (Rejecting), isn't asking intrusive questions (Probing), and isn't explicitly stating a moral judgment (Passing Judgment).

Concept Tested & Keywords

• Concept Tested: Non-therapeutic communication techniques in nursing.
• Stem keywords: nauseated, medication, wrong pill, communication technique
• Lead-in keywords: The communication technique used is
• Clinical cues: Age/sex group narrows the expected diagnosis, intervention, or normal reference range.

Question ID

QoKcPbKL3r-IMhSeV2ZCPW

Copy ID

Reference Book

E6 Nursing Fundamentals Potter Perry 12e Part 2 p. 123-125

E6 Guide to Mental Health & PSYCHIATRIC NURSING R Sreevani— Part 1 (pp 26-289 of 579) p. 102-104