Nursing Health History
... willing to share information. Relational control was also demonstrated during the interview. The interview was an example of a complementary relationship. The student nurse took control at the beginning and throughout the interview by directing the client through the health history. The client also had some control over the interview by giving the time that was appropriate for the interview to take place and by having some control over how long the interview took to complete. Since the client had no illness that would cause her to lose control of her own decision making, she was in control of her own circumstances. The last of the communication variables, confirmation, was demonstrated by the student nurse by asking the client to describe in further detail her feeling of pain. Confirmation was also demonstrated when the student nurse agreed with the client, and let the client know it was understandable that she felt the way she did about her loneliness. The client seemed appreciative of the support, but her feelings of loneliness and depression were evident. Different communication techniques were used in addition to communication variables. The most common communication technique used during the interview was closed questions. One example was when the student nurse asked the question, “Are you currently taking any medications, including prescriptions, over-the-counter medications, vitamins, or herbal remedies?” Another type of question asked is an open question. An example of an open question asked by the student nurse was, “You stated that you have been feeling anxiety and a great deal of depression, what is causing you to feel this way?” Silence was used by the student in response to this question. The client took several minutes to describe situation and the events that had taken place in her life over the past two months. Restatement was used after the client described her role in her family and her level of satisfaction. The student nurse stated, “So you feel great satisfaction in your role as a wife.” Another technique comparable to restatement is reflection. While they are close, reflection was not demonstrated during the interview by the student nurse. Clarification, however, was used. When the client told the student nurse she had been experiencing pain in her ...