HESI A2 Critical Thinking
1. In an interview, the nurse may find it necessary to take notes to aid his or her memory later. Which
statement is true regarding note-taking?
A) Note-taking may impede the nurse's observation of the patient's nonverbal behaviors.
B) Note-taking allows the patient to continue at his or her own pace as the nurse records what is said.
C) Note-taking allows the nurse to shift attention away from the patient, resulting in an increased
comfort level.
D) Note-taking allows the nurse to break eye contact with the patient, which may increase his or her
level of comfort. - A) Note-taking may impede the nurse's observation of the patient's nonverbal
behaviors.
Page: 31 Some use of history forms and note-taking may be unavoidable. But be aware that note-taking
during the interview has disadvantages. It breaks eye contact too often, and it shifts attention away from
the patient, which diminishes his or her sense of importance. It also may interrupt the patient's
narrative flow, and it impedes the observation of the patient's nonverbal behavior.
2. During an interview, the nurse states, "You mentioned shortness of breath. Tell me more about that."
Which verbal skill is used with this statement?
A) Reflection
B) Facilitation
C) Direct question
D) Open-ended question - D) Open-ended question
Page: 32 The open-ended question asks for narrative information. It states the topic to be discussed but
only in general terms. The nurse should use it to begin the interview, to introduce a new section of
questions, and whenever the person introduces a new topic.
3. A nurse is taking complete health histories on all of the patients attending a wellness workshop. On
the history form, one of the written questions asks, "You don't smoke, drink, or take drugs, do you?"
This question is an example of:
