Adult-Gerontology Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) Practice Exam

Which communication technique involves summarizing a patient's feelings and emotions to ensure understanding?

1. Paraphrasing

2. Clarification

3. Summarization

4. Reflection

The correct answer is: Reflection

The technique that involves summarizing a patient's feelings and emotions to ensure understanding is reflection. This method allows the clinician to mirror back the emotional content of a patient's statements, helping to validate their feelings and promote a deeper understanding of their personal experience. By reflecting, the clinician demonstrates active listening, which not only shows empathy but also encourages the patient to explore their feelings further, deepening the therapeutic relationship. In contrast, paraphrasing focuses on restating the content of what a patient has said in a succinct way, rather than emphasizing the emotional undertones. Clarification aims to ensure that the clinician accurately understands the patient’s message, often by asking questions for more detail. Summarization, while it involves briefly recapping information discussed, may not specifically target the patient's emotional state in the way that reflection does.