Question 1

Which of the following exemplifies a service orientation?

Accepted Answer

A service orntation needs to translate caring into appropriate,timely action that meets the needs of patients.Activities such as documentation of details or promotion of services may remain at the technical or conceptual level without a commitment to caring interactions.The institution of a holding area where families can be with children represents a caring action that arises out of interactions and knowledge of patient needs and thus,is service oriented.

Question 2

As part of performance appraisal,the nurse manager designs strategies to acknowledge staff members.What practices by the nurse manager best acknowledge staff accountability and contribution?

Accepted Answer

Facilitating greater control over practices implies trust and acknowledges expertise and performance.

Question 3

The nurse manager has to develop a patient satisfaction survey.What is one of the critical elements in selecting a patient satisfaction instrument?

Accepted Answer

Because satisfaction is a measure of service and service is a measure of perception of what matters to the patient,to measure satisfaction,surveys must include items that reflect the perspective of the patient.The quality of human contacts becomes the measure by which the consumer forms perceptions and judgments about nursing and the health agency.Consumers may not be able to evaluate the quality of interventions,but they always can evaluate the quality of the relationship with the person delivering the service.

Question 4

You are involved in designing a clinic for women in an inner-city neighborhood.A goal of this clinic might be:

Accepted Answer

Involvement of persons in their own health care is a cornerstone of healthcare reform and is important for improving health outcomes and patient experiences.While studies and partnership with key informants are important sources of information in the design of services,engagement of the women through their neighborhood advocates may increase activation and resulting behavior.Patient activation refers to patients' willingness and ability to take independent actions to manage their health and care.

Question 5

The nurse manager on a pediatric intensive care unit wants to evaluate patient satisfaction.The nurse manager understands that ultimately,positive relationships with consumers of care are evaluated by the:

Accepted Answer

Trend-setting organizations such as Magnet organizations need to demonstrate excellence in outcome data such as patient satisfaction.Patient satisfaction and perception of the quality of care are affected by the quality of the nurse-patient relationship.Valid measurement of patient satisfaction is an evolving science; nurses do not always accurately gauge what factors are most important to patients.Satisfaction measures are often skewed in a positive direction with scores clustered at the top of the scale.

Question 6

Corrine,a student nurse,often hears that nurses are gatekeepers and wonders what that term means.As a nurse leader,you explain that this is a reference to the:

Accepted Answer

As gatekeepers to the system,nurses advocate for and coordinate care,services,and access for patients across all providers,settings,and levels of care.

Question 7

John is an older adult patient who comes regularly to the multigroup practice in which you are a nurse practitioner.He says that he doesn't understand what he is supposed to be doing about his medications,because every time he comes to the clinic,he sees someone else who has different ideas.John's experience represents what aspect of the current consumer experience?

Accepted Answer

When consumers visit a multigroup practice,they do not have the option of selecting a specific healthcare provider,and thus,there is less opportunity to build a trusting relationship with a provider.

Question 8

A nurse is admitted to a psychiatric unit.The staff expresses frustration with her because they have explained several times her medication regimen,and yet,when she goes on passes,she fails to follow it.The staff believe that,as a nurse,she should be able to understand what is expected.The nurse's failure to follow the regimen indicates:

Accepted Answer

What is evident from the response is that she lacks health literacy or the capacity to obtain,process,and understand basic health information and services.Using a Health Literate Care Model involves weaving health literacy strategies into care by assuming that patients do not understand their health conditions or what to do about them,and then,subsequently assessing patients' understanding (Koh,Brach,Harris,& Parchman,2013).For example,a nurse who is an expert clinician in a specialty practice area,when diagnosed with a serious chronic illness,may not have the appropriate background to make informed healthcare decisions.

Question 9

In orienting new staff nurses to a pediatric intensive care unit,the nurse manager asks the staff nurses to answer the following question: "What is an important consideration in providing information to parents of a critically ill child?"

Accepted Answer

Consultation with the parents regarding the amount of information that they desire reflects a service orientation,in which preferences and needs of the consumer are placed first.The other answers reflect nurse-directed decisions in which the nurse decides what information and how much information is needed and how it is to be delivered.

Question 10

A 27-year old woman is admitted to your ICU in a coma,following an accident.The family of the patient,who is a Native American,places a medicine pouch in the bed with the young woman.As the nurse in this situation,it is important to:

Accepted Answer

Diversity encompasses more than differences in nationality or ethnicity and may include a variety of ways that patients are different from their healthcare providers.Nurses need to recognize the culture of their work setting,realizing that it may differ markedly from the culture of the consumer,and move beyond ethnocentrism to provide culturally competent care.This competence includes cultural knowledge,which involves actively learning about a community; cultural sensitivity,which entails valuing and respecting beliefs,norms,and practices of the people being served; and collaboration within a community (Flaskerud,2007).In this instance,it is important to understand the meaning of the pouch for the family; removal from the bed without discussion does not demonstrate respect for the values and beliefs of this family.

Question 11

As a nurse manager,you see an opportunity for patients to be well serviced through the medical home concept.You recognize that the concept of medical homes:

Accepted Answer

The concept of medical homes encompasses the idea of multifaceted medical homes that provide a usual source of health care.Current discussions have focused on physician-directed care even though nurses in advanced practice are well suited to lead teams in this model.

Question 12

As a head nurse,you are concerned about the service orientation on your unit.Which of the following findings and approaches might provide useful information for you?

Accepted Answer

The National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators (NDNQI®)is a national repository for unit-based quality data that can be used by organizations to benchmark the outcomes of care against those of other institutions (ANA,n.d.).Unit-based quality indicators,including satisfaction with nursing care,are a key feature of the NDNQI®.In addition to hospitals being provided with their own and comparison data,researchers are able to access de-identified data in order to answer important questions about nursing care quality.Pain management,the discharge process,and post-discharge patient callbacks are specific areas where nurses can make significant improvement in patient satisfaction.Because patients and nurses may differ in what they see as factors that produce satisfaction,total reliance on nursing perceptions of patient satisfaction may not provide a complete picture.

Question 13

The nurse manager analyzes the data from the patient satisfaction surveys.What can a nurse manager do to strengthen service recovery and improve consumer relationships?

Accepted Answer

Consumers need to be treated with fairness,given explanation,and provided with information about how errors will be prevented in the future.Staff can be assisted to respond to patient concerns through scripting,support,and an atmosphere that places an emphasis on learning and solutions rather than on blaming.

Question 14

In writing the patient satisfaction survey,the nurse manager is aware of the education levels of the families.What is the most critical element in the concept of health literacy?

Accepted Answer

The definition of health literacy used by the federal government is "the degree to which individuals have the capacity to obtain,process,and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions" (U.S.Department of Health and Human Services,2010).

Question 15

The complexity of the healthcare environment for consumers is increased by:

Accepted Answer

The complexity of options in health care and the processes and policies involved in funding health services for patients,as well as fragmented relationships with a growing variety of healthcare providers,contribute to the complexity of the system for patients,especially for those who might need it most,such as the poor,uninsured or underinsured,and homeless.

Question 16

The chief nursing officer is pleased with the nurse manager's strategy of improving patient satisfaction in the pediatric intensive care unit.She decides to implement these changes throughout the hospital.What would be important to consider in implementing a new program focused on improving relationships with consumers?

Accepted Answer

The nurse leader should allow professionals more influence over their practice;give staff opportunities to learn new and varied skills; give recognition and reward for success and support and consolation for lack of success; and foster motivation and belief in the importance of each individual and the value of his or her contribution.

Question 17

Based on data from the patient satisfaction survey,the nurse manager decides that a change should be made in communication with family members.What would be important for a nurse manager to consider when instituting a change to improve customer service?

Accepted Answer

Nurses are the healthcare providers who spend the most time with the consumer and are in an opportune position to understand the issues,structures,and processes that affect patients.The nurse acts as the primary person to be alert to circumstances that may prevent a successful outcome for the patient and to intervene on the patient's behalf.As a nurse manager,it is important to support staff in their use of power to be in control and to make decisions at the consumer-staff level of interaction.

Question 18

In designing a program for young adults regarding safe sexual practices,which of the following might reach the greatest number in your target group?

Accepted Answer

Mobile technology is changing the digital divide,with young adults,minorities,those with no college experience,and those with lower household incomes being more likely to indicate that phones are their main source of Internet access (Zickuhr & Smith).

Question 19

The chief nursing officer decides to establish a client advocacy position in an oncology unit.Advocacy is best represented by:

Accepted Answer

Advocacy involves empowering and promoting self-determination in others.

Question 20

The nurse manager understands that the three Ps associated with client education are philosophy,priority,and performance.Effective client education programs start with a shared philosophy that such programs are worth the investment.Evidence of a philosophic commitment to client teaching is best represented by:

Accepted Answer

A philosophy that patient education is an investment with a significant positive return is one of the three Ps of a successful consumer education focus.Money invested in teaching is money well spent.

Quiz 22: Consumer Relationships