A Patient Who Sustained a T1 Spinal Cord Injury a Week

Multiple Choice

A patient who sustained a T1 spinal cord injury a week ago refuses to discuss the injury and becomes verbally abusive to the nurses and other staff. The patient demands to be transferred to another hospital, where "they know what they are doing." The best response by the nurse to the patient's behavior is to

A) ask for the patient's input into the plan for care.
B) clarify that abusive behavior will not be tolerated.
C) reassure the patient that the anger will pass and rehabilitation will then progress.
D) ignore the patient's anger and continue to perform needed assessments and care.