Question

During a home health visit the nurse prepares to instruct a patient in how to perform range-of-motion (ROM) exercises for an injured shoulder. The nurse verifies that the patient took an analgesic 30 minutes before arrival at the patient's home. After discussing the purpose for the exercises and demonstrating each one, the nurse has the patient perform them. After two attempts with only the second of three exercises, the patient stops and says, "This hurts too much. I don't see why I have to do this so many times." The nurse applies the critical thinking attitude of integrity in which of the following actions?"

1. "I understand your reluctance, but the exercises are necessary for you to regain function in your shoulder. Let's go a bit more slowly and try to relax."
2. "I see that you're uncomfortable. I'll call your doctor to decide the next step."
3. "Show me exactly where your pain is and rate it for me on a scale of 0 to 10."
4. "Is anything else bothering you? Other than the pain, is there any other reason you might not want to do the exercises?"

Answer 1

The nurse applies integrity by asking the patient to show where the pain is and to rate it on a scale of 0 to 10
(option 3), thus respecting the patient's comfort limits while accurately assessing the situation.

Step-by-step explanation:

When a nurse applies the critical thinking attitude of integrity during a home health visit to instruct a patient on performing range-of-motion (ROM) exercises for an injured shoulder, they are committed to providing the best patient care while considering the patient's discomfort. Of the provided options, the nurse demonstrates integrity by saying "Show me exactly where your pain is and rate it for me on a scale of 0 to 10."


By doing this, the nurse addresses the patient's pain directly to accurately assess and validate the patient's discomfort, which is crucial for adjusting the therapy plan appropriately. Additionally, showing respect for the patient's pain and using a pain scale reflects an understanding of the limit to which ROM exercises should be performed before becoming counterproductive or causing further injury.