Final answer:
The nurse's question, "Tell me how your night was?" is an example of using a general lead, which is a therapeutic communication technique aimed at opening up dialogue and encouraging patients to share more than just yes or no responses.
Step-by-step explanation:
When a nurse asks a patient, “Tell me how your night was?” they are employing the communication technique known as a general lead. This technique falls under the umbrella of therapeutic communication skills used in healthcare to engage patients in conversation. It serves to open up a dialogue and allows the patient to talk about their experiences and feelings without directing them towards any particular topic. By doing so, nurses can better understand the patient's overall well-being.
General leads are valuable because they follow the principle of providing an opening that calls for more than a yes or no answer. It encourages the patient to share more about their condition and any concerns they might have. Unlike clarifying, which seeks to resolve confusion or ambiguity, offering of self, which involves sharing personal experiences to establish rapport, or summarizing, which recaps the conversation, a general lead is used to initiate or maintain a conversation.