A nurse is talking with a patient, and 5 minutes remain in the session. The patient has been silent for most of the session. Another patient comes to the door of the room, interrupts, and says to the nurse, "I really need to talk to you right now." The nurse should:

A) say to the interrupting patient, "I am not available to talk with you at the present time."
B) end the unproductive session with the current patient and spend time with the patient who has just interrupted.
C) invite the interrupting patient to join in the session with the current patient.
D) tell the patient who interrupted, "This session is 5 more minutes; then, I will talk with you."

Question

Mason Roesch · Accepted Answer

Final Answer : D, Explanation :  When a specific duration for a session has been set, the nurse must adhere to the schedule. Leaving the first patient would be equivalent to abandonment and would destroy any trust the patient had in the nurse. Adhering to the contract demonstrates that the nurse can be trusted and that the patient and the sessions are important. The incorrect responses preserve the nurse-patient relationship with the silent patient but may seem abrupt to the interrupting patient, abandon the silent patient, or fail to observe the contract with the silent patient.

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