Question

When assessing a patient's social skills, which remark would serve the nurse best?

a. "It sounds as if you need to develop some assertiveness skills."
b. "Describe an example of a time when you felt uncomfortable in a social situation."
c. "It is not easy to be assertive. We can role-play some situations to give you practice."
d. "What do you plan to do the next time you find yourself in an uncomfortable social situation?"

Answer 1

The most effective nurse's remark for assessing social skills is to ask the patient to describe an example of when they felt uncomfortable socially, which encourages sharing and active listening without making premature assumptions or prescriptions.

Step-by-step explanation:

When assessing a patient's social skills, the most effective remark a nurse can use is: b. "Describe an example of a time when you felt uncomfortable in a social situation." This open-ended question encourages the patient to share details about their experiences in their own words. It aligns with the principle that listening is a crucial skill in building rapport. By asking for specific examples, the nurse can better understand the patient's social difficulties and provide personalized assistance. It's also a nonjudgmental approach that avoids making assumptions about the patient's skills, such as assertiveness, unlike option a. Furthermore, it steers clear of prescribing a solution prematurely like option c and provides more insight than option d which might put premature pressure on the patient to come up with a solution.