During an interview, the nurse needs to obtain specific information ab

During an interview, the nurse needs to obtain specific information about the signs and symp-toms of the client’s health problem. To obtain these data most efficiently, the nurse should use:

1. Channeling
2. Open-ended questions
3. Closed-ended questions
4. Problem-seeking responses

ANSWER

ANS: 3
Using closed-ended questions helps the nurse to acquire specific information about health prob-lems such as symptoms, precipitating factors, or relief measures in an efficient manner. Channel-ing is where the nurse uses active listening techniques, such as “all right,” “go on,” or “uh-huh,” to indicate the nurse has heard what the client said and encourage the client to elaborate further. Using open-ended questions prompts the client to describe a situation in more than one or two words. Because it allows the client the opportunity to tell their story and reveal what is important to them, it is not the most efficient method of obtaining specific information regarding a client’s signs and symptoms of a health problem. In problem-seeking technique, the nurse takes the in-formation provided in the client’s story to more fully describe and identify the client’s specific problems. Using closed-ended questions would be the most efficient method for obtaining spe-cific information about the signs and symptoms of a client’s health problem.