Explaining the most important concepts you learned from this course and how you think you might apply these concepts in your future career? Chosen topic is listed below.

• Collect relevant and problem-specific health history information utilizing interviewing skills that are appropriate to the developmental, educational, psychological, and cultural characteristics of clients

Although interviewing a patient is not always thought of as a nursing skill in the same manner as taking a patient’s blood pressure or inserting an IV, patients themselves are a vital source of information for the nurse. Patients can provide evidence that is missing in their files, and provide vital sources of information about medications, previous treatments, the patient’s psychological state, and the patient’s willingness to adhere to treatment. But the nurse must also be able to conduct a quick assessment of the patient’s likely literacy and health literacy, based upon age, personal history, and mental state. A younger patient, a patient with limited education or limited contact with health practitioners, or a patient whose first language is not English may require additional prompting.

Cultural characteristics may also be a factor in adjusting the dynamics and setting of the interview. For patients from more collectivist cultures, a patient may feel more comfortable accompanied by a relative. Others may be more forthcoming if spoken to alone. The nurse should also be aware that cultural and family dynamics may affect an adolescent’s willingness to be honest in front of her parents about sexual behavior and past drug use.

The patient interview is thus both a factual exercise and also a psychological one. As noted by Srivastava (2019), a good interview involves building rapport and a mix of closed-ended questions that allows the nurse to secure vital information as well as open-ended questions that allow a patient input into shaping the interview, permitting the patient to volunteer information she or he believes is necessary. Even if patient information is not always reliable (as may be the case in young patients, patients with mental illnesses, or patients with dementia), and may need to be confirmed elsewhere, the patient’s tone of voice, attitude, and nonverbal communication all speak volumes.

Reference

Srivastava, S. (2019). The patient interview. Retrieved from:

http://samples.jbpub.com/9781449652722/9781449645106_ch01_001_036.pdf