The nurse completes the assessment for a patient who has just been admitted to the hospital.
The nurse carefully documents the patient's current drug list and asks about the use of any herbal supplements or over-the-counter medications.
Which phase of the interview does this occur in?

Choice A rationale

While face-to-face hand-off reports are often preferred for direct communication and clarification, they are not always the only acceptable method. Other methods, such as recorded reports or written summaries with opportunities for questions, can also be effective in ensuring continuity of care, especially in situations where face-to-face reporting is not feasible.

Choice B rationale

Providing for the continuity and individualized care of the patient is a primary purpose of hand-off reports. By sharing relevant information about the patient's current condition, care plan, and any recent changes, the hand-off ensures that the receiving nurse has the necessary information to provide consistent and tailored care.

Choice C rationale

Including an opportunity for the receiver to ask questions of the person giving the report is crucial for effective communication and to clarify any ambiguities or obtain additional details. This interactive element helps ensure that the receiving nurse fully understands the patient's situation and can provide safe and appropriate care.

Choice D rationale

Hand-off reports should include up-to-date and recent changes about the patient's condition, treatments, and any new orders or concerns. This ensures that the receiving nurse is aware of the most current information and can adjust care accordingly. Outdated information can lead to errors or omissions in care.

Choice E rationale

Hand-off reports supplement, but do not replace, formal documentation in the patient's medical record. Documentation provides a comprehensive and permanent record of the patient's care, while the hand-off report is a verbal or brief written communication to ensure a smooth transition of care between nurses. Both are essential for effective patient care and communication.

Choice A rationale

The physician is responsible for medical diagnoses, which identify diseases or medical conditions based on the patient's signs, symptoms, and diagnostic test results. While nurses use medical diagnoses to inform their care, they do not analyze data to arrive at them.

Choice B rationale

The patient provides subjective data about their health status, which is crucial information for the nurse's assessment. However, the patient does not have the clinical knowledge and expertise to analyze and interpret this data in the context of other findings to formulate a nursing diagnosis.

Choice C rationale

The nurse is responsible for collecting, analyzing, and interpreting patient data (both subjective and objective) to identify patterns, draw conclusions about the patient's health status, and formulate nursing diagnoses. Nursing diagnoses describe the patient's responses to actual or potential health problems that nurses are qualified and licensed to treat.

Choice D rationale

Therapists, such as physical therapists, occupational therapists, or respiratory therapists, focus on specific aspects of the patient's rehabilitation and treatment based on their area of expertise. While they contribute valuable data to the patient's overall care, they are not primarily responsible for formulating nursing diagnoses.