CELBAN Giving Patient Instructions 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A patient with low health literacy needs discharge instructions. Which approach is most effective?
- Use medical terminology for accuracy
- Provide only written pamphlets
- Use plain language and teach-back method (Correct answer)
- Ask family members to explain later
Correct answer: Use plain language and teach-back method
Plain language combined with the teach-back method ensures comprehension regardless of literacy level.
Question 2: When instructing a patient on wound care at home, what is the FIRST step a nurse should take?
- Demonstrate the dressing change
- Assess what the patient already knows (Correct answer)
- Provide written instructions only
- Ask the physician to explain instead
Correct answer: Assess what the patient already knows
Assessing baseline knowledge prevents repetition and allows instructions to be tailored to the patient's needs.
Question 3: A patient says, 'I understand' after medication instructions but cannot demonstrate the correct technique. What should the nurse do?
- Document that teaching was completed
- Ask the patient to sign the teaching form
- Re-teach using a different method and reassess (Correct answer)
- Refer the patient to a pharmacist only
Correct answer: Re-teach using a different method and reassess
Verbal confirmation alone is insufficient; the nurse must re-teach and use return demonstration to verify understanding.
Question 4: Which phrase best confirms a patient understands insulin injection instructions?
- 'Do you have any questions?'
- 'Can you tell me in your own words how you will give yourself insulin?' (Correct answer)
- 'You understood that, right?'
- 'I explained everything, so you should be fine.'
Correct answer: 'Can you tell me in your own words how you will give yourself insulin?'
Open-ended teach-back questions require the patient to actively recall and demonstrate understanding.
Question 5: A nurse is giving post-operative instructions to a patient who speaks limited English. What is the priority action?
- Speak louder and more slowly
- Use a professional medical interpreter (Correct answer)
- Ask a bilingual family member to translate
- Provide written instructions in English only
Correct answer: Use a professional medical interpreter
Professional medical interpreters ensure accurate, confidential, and legally appropriate communication.
Question 6: When providing instructions for a new colostomy, how should the nurse sequence the teaching?
- Give all information in one session to save time
- Start with the most complex skills first
- Begin with simple concepts and build toward complex skills (Correct answer)
- Provide only written materials and answer questions later
Correct answer: Begin with simple concepts and build toward complex skills
Teaching from simple to complex builds patient confidence and promotes progressive skill development.
Question 7: A patient is being discharged on warfarin. Which instruction is most critical to include?
- Avoid all physical activity
- Report unusual bruising or bleeding immediately (Correct answer)
- Take double dose if a dose is missed
- Stop the medication if INR is normal
Correct answer: Report unusual bruising or bleeding immediately
Unusual bleeding is a serious sign of over-anticoagulation and must be reported immediately to prevent harm.
CELBAN Giving Patient Instructions 2
A patient with low health literacy needs discharge instructions.
Which approach is most effective?