Practice Question
A nurse is assisting with the care of a client who has a new colostomy and states they are not ready to look at the stoma. The nurse encourages the client to share their feelings about the colostomy. Which of the following strategies is the nurse utilizing?
Answer Choices:
Correct Answer:
Discussion.
Rationale:
💠 When the nurse encourages the client to share feelings about their new colostomy, this is a discussion-based strategy.
💠 Discussion allows the client to express fears, concerns, grief, or anxiety related to body image and lifestyle changes.
💠 It is a two-way, therapeutic conversation rather than a skill-based or performance-based teaching method.
💠 This approach supports emotional adjustment and helps the nurse assess the client’s readiness for more technical teaching later (like ostomy care).
💠 Therefore, encouraging verbal expression of feelings best fits the category of discussion.
“Return demonstration.”
💠 Return demonstration is used when the nurse teaches a skill (e.g., changing the ostomy pouch) and then observes the client perform the skill to confirm learning.
💠 It focuses on psychomotor learning, not primarily on emotional expression or coping.
💠 A client who says they are not ready to look at the stoma is not yet ready to perform return demonstrations.
💠 Forcing a return demo at this stage could increase distress or resistance rather than promote acceptance.
💠 Thus, this strategy does not match the described scenario, which centers on emotional readiness.
“Role-play.”
💠 Role-play involves acting out scenarios, often to practice communication or coping in hypothetical situations.
💠 It is more structured and involves pretending different roles, such as being the nurse, the client, or a family member.
💠 The scenario described focuses on the client simply talking about their feelings, not acting out or rehearsing a scenario.
💠 Early after colostomy surgery, role-play may be too advanced or emotionally taxing when the client is still struggling with basic acceptance.
💠 Therefore, role-play is not the most accurate label for the nurse’s chosen approach.
“Question-and-answer.”
💠 A question-and-answer strategy is primarily focused on information exchange, where the client asks questions and the nurse provides factual responses.
💠 While Q&A can be part of a discussion, the key here is the client’s emotional statement about not being ready, which indicates a need for supportive listening, not just facts.
💠 The nurse’s response focuses on inviting expression of feelings, not merely answering questions about care.
💠 Emotional processing and coping are better captured by discussion than a simple Q&A format.
💠 Thus, question-and-answer is not the best description of this therapeutic interaction.
Want to practice more questions like this?
This question is from Custom Fundamentals Exam 4 Fall 2025 which contains 24 questions.
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Question Details
- Category: RN Nursing Exam(s)
- Subcategory: ATI Exam(s)
- Domain: RN ATI Fundamentals of Nursing
- Answer Choices: 4