A nurse overhears two assistive personnel (APs) disagreeing about client care assignments.
Which of the following actions by the nurse demonstrates conflict resolution?

The correct answers are a. Client's hearing deficit, b. Volume of the client's television, c. Numerous visitors in the client's room, e. Adverse effects of opioid analgesic, and f. Using earphones while listening to music.

Choice A rationale: A client with hearing loss who does not wear a hearing aid may experience difficulty understanding spoken communication, especially in noisy environments, leading to potential miscommunication or misunderstanding.

Choice B rationale: Loud television volume can make it difficult for both the nurse and the client to hear each other, causing interference in their communication and potentially leading to errors in information exchange.

Choice C rationale: The presence of numerous visitors in the room can cause distractions, background noise, and overall interference with the nurse-client communication process, potentially affecting the quality and accuracy of the information exchanged.

Choice E rationale: Opioid analgesics can cause adverse effects such as drowsiness, confusion, or cognitive impairment, hindering effective communication between the nurse and the client, as the client's ability to comprehend, retain, and convey information may be impaired.

Choice F rationale: The use of earphones while listening to music can impair the client's ability to hear the nurse, creating a barrier to effective communication. This could potentially lead to missed or misunderstood information and, consequently, affect the quality of care.

Choice D rationale (Incorrect choice): While an increase in pain after ambulation could affect the client's mood, cooperation, and ability to engage in effective communication, it does not directly create a barrier to the nurse's ability to communicate with the client. Pain management is an essential aspect of postoperative care, and effective communication can actually facilitate pain assessment, management, and overall client well-being.

Choice A rationale:

"Questioning" is an important aspect of critical thinking, but it is not one of the specific steps in the critical thinking process. Critical thinking involves a systematic approach to problem-solving, and questioning is a skill used throughout the process to gather information, clarify concepts, and identify issues.

Choice B rationale:

"Analysis" is one of the key steps in the critical thinking process. Analyzing data involves breaking down information, identifying patterns, and drawing conclusions based on evidence. It is a fundamental aspect of critical thinking and problem-solving in healthcare.

Choice C rationale:

"Intuition" is an important but more subjective aspect of decision-making. It involves a gut feeling or instinct that may guide a healthcare provider's choices, but it is not a formal step in the critical thinking process. Intuition can be influenced by one's experience and knowledge.

Choice D rationale:

"Creativity" can be a valuable skill in critical thinking, but it is not a specific step in the process. Creativity may be used to generate innovative solutions to problems, but the formal steps of critical thinking involve gathering data, analyzing it, and making evidence-based decisions. .