Develop crisis intervention skills to use when communicating with the patient who experiences difficulty dealing with abnormal test results or confirmation of disease or illness.
Encourage the patient to take as much control of the situation as possible.
Recognize that the different stages of behavioral responses to negative results may last several weeks or longer (Table 1.9).
Monitor changes in patient affect, mood, behaviors, and motivation. Do not assume that persons who initially have a negative perception of their health (e.g., denial of diabetes) will not be able to integrate better health behaviors into daily life once they accept the diagnosis.
Use the following strategies to lessen the impact of a threatening situation:
Offer appropriate comfort measures.
Allow patients to work through feelings of anxiety and depression. At the appropriate time, reassure them that these feelings and emotions are normal initially. Be more of a therapeutic listener than a talker.
Assist the patient and family in making necessary lifestyle and self-concept adjustments through education, support groups, and other means. Emphasize that risk factors associated with certain diseases can be reduced through lifestyle changes. Be realistic. It is better to introduce change slowly rather than trying to promote adjustments on a grand scale in a short period of time.