Safety Standard National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS)

Questions 

1. What is the aim of the Communicating for Safety Standard as outlined in the National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) Standards?

2. What is the purpose of the Congress of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nurses and Midwives (CATSINaM)?

Scenario 1 (Mr Barney) Relates to questions 3 - 14

Mr Allen Barney is an 82-year-old man of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander decent, living in Queensland. He has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, and right-sided weakness and impaired thought processes (cognitive impairment) from a Cerebral Vascular Accident (Stroke).

He mainly speaks Aboriginal English but can speak and understand general English reasonably well.

He is partially deaf and wears hearing aids in both ears, he also has low vision and wears glasses.

He previously lived at home with his wife. However, due to a deterioration in his condition he has recently been admitted to Parklands Nursing Home as his wife was struggling to look after him.

Allen has a son called Michael who lives interstate.

Mr Barney is reviewed regularly at the facility by his treating Doctor and Physiotherapist

3. Provide three (3) systems or process the Communication for Safety Standard outlines to ensure effective communication during Mr Barney’s care.

4. Provide three (3) principles relating to cultural safety that you can apply to the care of Mr Barney. 

5. Outline three (3) strategies you can use to ensure that your communication with Mr Barney is culturally appropriate.

Scenario 1 (Mr Barney) continued:

Mrs Barney speaks Aboriginal English, she indicates through her communication with staff that she feels a little confused as to what is happening with her husband’s ongoing care and health issues and would like to arrange a meeting to discuss this.

To assist with this meeting and to ensure cultural safety, Mrs barney would like the local Aboriginal Liaison person ( interpreter) to attend the meeting to help with communicating medical terminology.

6. a) Provide information on where you would find access to an Aboriginal Hospital Liaison Officer located in Queensland, and state one (1) ways they support families.

b) Provide three (3) guidelines that can be used for non - English or limited -English speaking clients when there is an interpreter available.

How can you make Mr Barney feel comfortable, using appropriate verbal and non-verbal communication? Answer the questions below.

7. a)Discuss two (2) non-verbal communication skills that would be appropriate to use with Mr Barney

b) Discuss two (2) verbal communication skills that would be appropriate to use with Mr Barney.

8.Discuss two (2) ways you can use communication to foster trust from Mr Barney.

9.Discuss two (2) ways you can safeguard Mr Barney’s privacy and confidentially?

10. Answer the following questions:

• Provide three (3) ways you can facilitate communicate for Mr Barney in regards to his cognitive and physical impairment.

• Provide three (3) ways communication with Mr Barney may be inhibited due to his cognitive and physical impairment.

11. List three (3) strategies you may use to aid communication with Mr Barney in regards to his vision and hearing impairments.

12. Discuss two (2) ways self-reflection can help develop effective communication skills between you and Mr Barney.

13. Discuss three (3) ways you can create an environment that aids therapeutic communication for Mr Barney as well as other clients.

14. Discuss two (2) benefits of Social Conversation that you can use to get to know Mr Barney and other clients better.

Scenario 2 (Mrs Gills). Relates to questions 15 - 18

Mrs Mary Gills is an 84-year-old woman, who was recently admitted to The Golden Days Nursing Home where you work. Mary has Parkinson’s disease and early-stage Parkinson’s dementia. She also has low vision and is hard of hearing and wears glasses and hearing aids in both ears. Steven is Mary’s son and her sole support person.

During your shift you walk past Mrs Gills room at 0800hrs and discover that she has fallen out of the bed onto the floor where she is crying quietly and trying to get up. You assist Mrs Gill onto a chair as she keeps saying over and over, “I’m alright”.

Mary’s doctor was informed as she would need a medical review, and a physical assessment was conducted by the Registered Nurse, no physical injuries noted.

Vital signs Temp 37.1, Pulse 100, Respirations 22, Blood Pressure 140/80.

You are also required to complete an incident form and follow up with a risk assessment.

After following facility procedure for this incident, you are then to discuss this with the patient and the son, your supervisor will be with you during this discussion.

15. Provide a definition of ‘open disclosure’ and discuss the principles of open disclosure referring to the Australian Open Disclosure Framework (2013) 

• Definition of ‘open disclosure’
• Provide five (5) principles of open disclosure
• Provide three (3) considerations that are used during the open disclosure process.

Scenario 2 (Mrs Mary Gills) continued:

16. Using the ISBAR communication tool, provide an example of what information you would provide regarding the incident and actions you have taken. Ensure that you use appropriate terminology.

Scenario 2 (Mrs Mary Gills) continued:

Steve, Mary’s son, will be traveling overseas for the next few weeks and will not have telephone access. He has asked if you could email him to provide him with a progress report on his mother.

17. Identify five (5) factors relating to email etiquette you will need to adhere to when emailing clients or other staff members from your workplace.

Scenario 2 (Mrs Mary Gills) continued:

The Nursing home where Mrs Gill lives, keeps their patient records electronically and not paper based.

18.From a legal and ethical viewpoint, how may a health care facility keep their electronic records private and confidential. Identify two (2) methods.

Scenario 3 (Steven Mayfair) Relates to questions 19 and 20

Steven Mayfair (identifies as he) is 38yrs old and in the rehabilitation, ward recovering from a motorbike accident where he damaged both his legs. He is learning to walk again after extensive surgery and hospital time. He is often withdrawn and difficult to talk to at times.

19. To facilitate effective communication with Steven, answer the following in regards to open and closed methods of communication.

• Define what a closed ended question is.
• Provide Two (2) examples of a closed question you may ask Steven.
• Define what an open-ended question is.
• Provide Two (2) examples of an open-ended question you may ask Steven.

20. Define the term ‘Active Listening’ and provide three (3) examples how this could be used when communicating with Steven.

Scenario 4 – Relates to questions 21 - 24

You are working as an Enrolled Nurse in a surgical ward, on your break you check your social media account and notice that one of your work colleagues, who is a friend of yours and working the same shift, has posted some information relating to one of the young clients in the unit who has had a bad accident that was in the media.

21. State four (4) ways you can meet your obligations as a registered health practitioner when using social media as per the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) social media guidelines.

22. You are required to be an advocate for this person who has been put on social media.Identify three (3) reasons why advocacy is important to nursing.

Scenario 4 – continued

You need to speak to your colleague about this social media post. You recognise this is an unacceptable situation and a breach of the client’s privacy.

23. Describe three (3) strategies you could use to deliver a constructive outcome when providing feedback to your colleague who had posted on social media. 

24. Identify three (3) principles for receiving feedback to improve your professional performance, when speaking to colleagues and clients?

General Questions - Relate to Questions 25 - 31

25. Identify eight (8) legal obligations that you must apply to your documentation practices.

26. Outline three (3) reasons why interviewing skills are valuable for the nurse to obtain a client’s history.

27. The table below identifies three (3) ways to approach conflict resolution and negotiate solutions.

Discuss what each one means:

• Win - Win
• Lose - Win
• Win - Lose

You are a nurse who is responsible for organizing an International Nurses Day celebration for the large multipurpose medical centre you work in. You are to get a small group of other staff members together to help organise. You have a small budget from the organisation and 5 weeks to decide what to do. You will be conducting weekly meetings for the next 4 weeks.

28.a) To help you understand and monitor your groups dynamics, there are four development stages a group may go through.

Provide a description for each of the following stages.

• Forming stage
• Storming stage
• Norming stage
• Performing stage

28. b) Discuss two (2) ways you can improve changing group dynamics

29. What is the purpose of small group meetings?

30. Discuss two (2) ways you can have effective meetings where communication is effective, meetings are of value and meet identified objectives.

31. You have chosen your small group and during meetings each member has a specific role to play. Explain the role of the members in the table below:

Team Member	What is their role in the meeting
Enrolled Nurse – Sam (Leader)
Enrolled Nurse - Sally ( Questioner)
Registered Nurse – Jill (Problem Solver)
Student EN – Cris ( Follower)

 

Summary of Assessment Requirements

This assessment focused on the NSQHS Communication for Safety Standard and its practical application in healthcare scenarios. The key requirements included:

• Understanding key concepts such as the aim of the Communicating for Safety Standard and the purpose of CATSINaM.
• Applying communication frameworks to diverse patient scenarios (Mr Barney, Mrs Gills, Steven Mayfair, and a social media incident).
• Demonstrating culturally safe communication, especially in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander contexts.
• Using tools and strategies like ISBAR, open disclosure, active listening, verbal and non-verbal techniques.
• Addressing barriers caused by age-related impairments (hearing, vision, cognitive limitations).
• Maintaining professional standards including privacy, confidentiality, advocacy, documentation, conflict resolution, and team collaboration.

The tasks required a mix of theoretical knowledge and practical strategies across 31 questions, ensuring students linked communication theory to real-life nursing contexts.

Academic Mentor’s Step-by-Step Guidance

The mentor guided the student through the assessment in a systematic, section-wise approach:

1. Understanding Core Standards (Q1–2):
   The mentor explained the aim of the Communication for Safety Standard and the role of CATSINaM, ensuring the student built a foundation of why these frameworks are essential in healthcare.

2. Scenario Analysis – Mr Barney (Q3–14):

   • The mentor broke down Mr Barney’s medical, cultural, and communication needs.
   • Highlighted systems and processes (handover, clinical communication tools, documentation).
   • Discussed cultural safety principles and practical strategies for engaging Aboriginal clients respectfully.
   • Guided the student in matching verbal, non-verbal, and trust-building communication techniques with Mr Barney’s impairments (hearing, vision, cognition).

   • Encouraged use of interpreters, liaison officers, and family inclusion to ensure cultural safety.

3. Scenario Analysis – Mrs Gills (Q15–18):

   • Explained open disclosure framework with principles and ethical considerations.

   • Demonstrated how to use the ISBAR tool for structured communication.
   • Provided guidelines for email etiquette in healthcare.

   • Discussed privacy and confidentiality in electronic records.

4. Scenario Analysis – Steven Mayfair (Q19–20):

   • Clarified open vs. closed questions with relevant nursing examples.

   • Practiced active listening techniques to improve patient engagement.

5. Scenario Analysis – Social Media Breach (Q21–24):

   • Mentor guided the student on AHPRA’s social media guidelines.
   • Emphasized advocacy principles in nursing practice.

   • Coached on giving constructive peer feedback while respecting professional boundaries.

6. General Questions (Q25–31):

   • Reviewed legal obligations in documentation.
   • Discussed interviewing skills in nursing.
   • Explained conflict resolution styles and their application in healthcare teams.
   • Walked through group dynamics stages (forming, storming, norming, performing).
   • Guided the student in roles within small groups and effective meeting practices.

Outcome and Learning Achievements

By following this structured mentoring process, the student:

• Successfully addressed all 31 questions with accurate, evidence-based answers.
• Learned to apply communication standards across varied clinical scenarios.
• Developed skills in cultural competence, advocacy, confidentiality, and professionalism.
• Strengthened knowledge of tools like ISBAR and open disclosure, improving readiness for workplace application.
• Gained clarity on team dynamics, conflict resolution, and leadership roles in nursing.

The final outcome was a well-structured, complete assessment solution that demonstrated both theoretical understanding and practical application. The student achieved key learning objectives aligned with safe, effective, and culturally appropriate communication in healthcare.

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