You are talking with a patient during rounds, and the patient tells you she does not understand what the doctors tell her and she is unsure of what is going on with her health. Tell me how you respond to the patient.
Unfortunately, these types of situations are very common in the healthcare system, as patients are often confused or misinformed about their health. This is particularly true for elderly patients and/or patients without someone present to advocate for them. In this situation, the nurse should take time to help the patient understand what is going on with her health. The interviewer is asking this question to determine if the candidate would take initiative to help the patient; and to effectively answer this question, the candidate should indicate they would explain the medical situation to the patient in layman's terms. A more successful answer to this question would include a specific example from the nurse's career where they helped clarify a diagnosis, procedure, or other medical-related situation when a patient was confused.
"This type of situation has to be so frightening for a patient, and unfortunately, it happens so often. I would take time to explain the patient's medical condition to them at a level in which they could understand, and I would not leave until I was sure they understood. I have dealt with this many times in my nursing career, but one time in particular sticks out to me. I was caring for a patient who had been admitted after a car accident, and after she had a CT scan on her head, a mass was found on her pituitary gland. The doctors did not think the mass was cancerous, and the patient was told it was likely benign; but unfortunately, she didn't know the meaning of benign. Later, when I went to check on the patient, she was devastated and thought she had brain cancer. Luckily, I was able to help explain the situation to her, just like I would do in the situation with the patient you described to me."
"In the hospital, it can be common for patients to feel confused and scared about their medical condition. Patients may be dealing with pain or poor sleep, which can make it difficult to focus on information from doctors or others in the hospital. Also, regardless of patients' education or socioeconomic status, we can't assume that we know a patient's 'health literacy,' which is their ability to understand health and medical information. So, I have encountered scenarios a lot like this at the bedside. In this case, I would stay in the patient's room and pull up her most recent clinical notes from her primary team and consulting teams. I would explain what their assessments are in simple terms, avoiding healthcare jargon. I would ask the patient if she now feels that she understands her condition and plan. In most cases, just taking the time to explain things in clear terms relieves much of the patient's anxiety."
Community answers are written by other candidates practicing this set. Reading how others frame the same question is one of the fastest ways to sharpen your own.
Anonymous Answer
Sadly this is not uncommon! I would take the time to review the diagnosis, tests done or to be done and why they were performed as well as results, blood work, plan, and along the way ask if she understands. Print out educational material about diagnosis or new meds. Ask if there is a language barrier can use a translator next time or provide educational materials in the native language or have a caregiver present when the doctor assesses.
Cindy's Feedback
Good! If this is a common scenario, you may want to add an example from your experience. Have you had a similar situation? How did you respond? Did your response solve the problem?
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