Situational Nursing Mock Interview
Practice 50 Situational Nursing interview questions covering clinical judgment, patient safety, and critical response scenarios.
Question 33 of 50
How do you handle difficult family members who disagree with the care that the patient agreed to?
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Dianne Barnard is a Registered Nurse and former nursing instructor. She is also board certified in Psychiatric Nursing and Holistic Nursing Critical Care.
Patient families can be challenging, and they do not always agree with the patient's decision. Sometimes they will pull you aside and tell you their opinion. As long as the patient is competent to make their own decisions, the best way to deal with these situations is to tell the family that they really need to talk with the patient. You should not be talking about the patient's condition when they are not present, anyway. Remember your license and advocate for your patient's rights.
Dianne Barnard is a Registered Nurse and former nursing instructor. She is also board certified in Psychiatric Nursing and Holistic Nursing Critical Care.
"I would acknowledge that I understand they want the best for their family member, but explain that I cannot discuss the patient's care with them and that the patient has the right to make their own decision. I would encourage them to discuss their concerns with the patient directly and perhaps ask for a shared meeting with the doctor so their concerns could be addressed. I would definitely report the interaction to my nursing supervisor."
"When a patient is a competent adult who can make their own healthcare decision, I will respectfully direct the patient's family member back to the patient. I will remind the family member that I must respect the patient's privacy. If the patient agrees, I can call the doctor and ask the doctor to come to the patient's room and answer the family member's questions with the patient present."
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