A nurse is conducting an assessment for a patient with suicidal ideation. Which skill involves acknowledging the patient's feelings and thoughts as real and understandable without agreeing or disagreeing with them?

The correct answer is B. Reflecting back the patient’s feelings and thoughts and D. Encouraging patient involvement in decision making.

Choice A rationale:

Asking close-ended questions is not effective in building rapport and trust. Close-ended questions can limit the patient’s ability to express their feelings and thoughts, which is crucial in understanding their mental state and providing appropriate support.

Choice B rationale:

Reflecting back the patient’s feelings and thoughts helps in validating their emotions and shows that the nurse is actively listening and empathetic. This technique fosters trust and encourages the patient to open up more about their feelings.

Choice C rationale:

Imposing personal views and opinions can be detrimental to the therapeutic relationship. It can make the patient feel judged or misunderstood, which can hinder open communication and trust.

Choice D rationale:

Encouraging patient involvement in decision making empowers the patient and promotes a sense of control over their situation. This collaborative approach can enhance the therapeutic relationship and support the patient’s autonomy.

Choice E rationale:

Disregarding patient preferences is counterproductive in establishing a therapeutic relationship. It can lead to feelings of disrespect and neglect, which can further isolate the patient and exacerbate their risk.

Choice A rationale:

Building rapport and trust with the patient. Building rapport and trust is a crucial aspect of the assessment phase, not the diagnosis phase, of the nursing process. While it's important to establish a strong nurse-patient relationship, the primary goal of the diagnosis phase is to identify and define the patient's health problems and needs.

Choice B rationale:

Identifying the nursing diagnoses related to suicide risk. The diagnosis phase involves analyzing the assessment data to identify and define the patient's health issues and needs. In the case of a patient at risk for suicide, it's essential to accurately identify the specific nursing diagnoses related to the suicide risk. This lays the foundation for developing an appropriate plan of care.

Choice C rationale:

Developing a plan of care for the patient's needs. While developing a plan of care is a critical step in the nursing process, it comes after the diagnosis phase. Once nursing diagnoses are identified, the nurse can then proceed to plan interventions and strategies to address the patient's needs.

Choice D rationale:

Evaluating the effectiveness of interventions. Evaluation is the final phase of the nursing process and occurs after interventions have been implemented. It involves determining whether the interventions have been successful in achieving the desired outcomes. The primary goal of the diagnosis phase is to identify the patient's health problems, not to evaluate interventions.