A nurse is obtaining a history from an adult female client. When the nurse asks how many times the client has been pregnant, the client answers, "I have four kids." Which statement, made by the nurse, seeks clarification of the original question?

A. "How old are your children?" "

B. I understand you have four kids; how many times have you actually been pregnant?"

C. "All right, you have four children, is that correct?"

D. "Were these term births?"

The correct answer is B. I understand you have four kids; how many times have you actually been pregnant?"

Explanation:

In communication, statements or questions for clarification aim at confirming the information understood or re-stating the question to check the information in case the speaker is not sure about the answer to a question. In the case presented, the nurse will need to check if the answer provided by the patient "I have four kids" means she has been four times pregnant as this might not be equivalent.

According to this, the statement or question for clarification should focus on the answer provided and the original question and therefore, the best statement is "I understand you have four kids; how many times have you actually been pregnant?" because this considers the answer of the patient to re-check information also includes the original question which is the one the nurse wants the patient to answer.

B. I understand you have four kids; how many times have you actually been pregnant?" is the correct answer.