Educate the patient and family regarding the testing process and what will be expected of them. Record the date, time, type of teaching, information given, and person(s) to whom the information was given.
Provide sensory and objective information that relates to what the patient will likely physically feel and the equipment that will be used. This will allow the patient to envision a realistic representation of what will occur. Avoid technical and medical jargon and adapt information to the patients level of understanding.
Encourage questions and verbalization of feelings, fears, and concerns. Do not dismiss, minimize, or invalidate the patients anxiety through trivial remarks such as Dont worry. Develop listening skills and be aware of nonverbal signals (i.e., body language) because these frequently provide a more accurate picture of what the patient really feels than what they say. Use therapeutic communication skills to support the patient.
Emphasize that there is usually a waiting period (i.e., turnaround time) before test results are relayed back to the healthcare providers and nursing unit. The patient may have to wait several days for results. Offer listening, presence, and support during this time of great concern and anxiety.
Record test result information. Include the patients response. The possibility that a diagnosis will require a patient to make significant lifestyle changes (e.g., diabetes) requires intense support, understanding, education, and motivation. Document specific names of audiovisual and reading materials to be used for audit, reimbursement, and accreditation purposes.
Factors such as anxiety, language barriers, and physical or emotional impairments may impact the patients ability to fully understand and assimilate instructions and explanations. To validate the patients understanding of what is presented, use the teach-back method by asking the patient to repeat information given to evaluate assimilation and understanding of the presented information.
Include and reinforce information about the diagnostic plan, the procedure, time frames, and the patients role in the testing process.