The nurse has developed a plan in which nursing interventions are ...

[CORALGRILL2014]

The nurse has developed a plan in which nursing interventions are used to reinforce the patient's healthy behaviors. Which statement by the nurse will positively reinforce the pa-tient's efforts regarding the plan?
 
  a. How can a stress reduction plan help you at home?
  b. It sounds like you have the incentive to make healthy choices.
  c. When you tried to follow the plan, how well did it work for you?
  d. It sounds as though making healthy choices is very important to you.

Question 2

A novice nurse asks, What is so wrong about being sympathetic with a patient who has also lost a parent like I did? The psychiatric nurse manager responds:
 
  a. There is a fine line between empathy and sympathy that when crossed makes you less able to be therapeutic.
  b. Rather than discussing the loss of your parent with the patient, you can talk to me about it whenever you need to.
  c. I'll provide you with some excellent materials that I'm sure will help you to un-derstand why sympathy is less therapeutic.
  d. Sympathy indicates that you are sharing your personal feelings and that changes the focus of the communication from the patient to you.

[lgoldst9]

Answer to Question 1

ANS: B
This answer offers a positive response to a patient who is trying out new behaviors. This nursing response will serve to encourage the patient's efforts. The remaining options do not provide positive reinforcement but rather are attempts to gather more information or clarify the patient's motivation to change.

Answer to Question 2

ANS: D
Empathy should not be confused with sympathy. Sympathy is overinvolvement and sharing your own feelings after hearing about another person's similar experience. It is not objective, and its primary purpose is to decrease one's own personal distress. Although substituting sympathy for empathy does lessen the ability to be therapeutic, that is not the best explana-tion for avoiding it. Offering to discuss the nurse's loss is a kind gesture but does not address the nurse's question. Providing materials on the subject would be an appropriate reinforce-ment but does not address the question well.