A LITTLE LIGHTBULB MOMENT
Nursing fundamentals, assessment and communication
Open-ended questions
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Let the patient tell the story.
The idea behind the cue
Open-ended questions invite fuller responses and give patients room to explain symptoms, concerns, and priorities. They are especially useful at the start of an assessment and whenever the nurse wants more detail than a brief yes or no.
Practice this flashcard →Make it memorable
Short & simple
Let the patient tell the story.
Acronym
OE — Overdressed Eclairs.
Story
Instead of asking, “You’re fine, right?” the nurse asks, “What brings you in today?” The patient pauses, then explains the real concern, which a yes-or-no question would have hidden.
Connect the pieces
- O (Overdressed) → Open-ended: Invites fuller responses and gives the patient room to explain.
- E (Eclairs) → Explore: Useful for assessment and for getting more detail than a quick yes or no.
- Overdressed · Open-ended: Invites fuller responses and gives the patient room to explain.
- Eclairs · Explore: Useful for assessment and for getting more detail than a quick yes or no.
Know the limits
Open-ended questions are useful for assessment, but some situations require focused closed-ended follow-up to clarify details.
Further reading · OpenStax nursing textbooks ↗Check your understanding
Which question is open-ended?
A. Is your pain gone now?
B. What does your pain feel like?
C. Are you taking medicine?
D. Do you have pain?
Reveal explanation
What does your pain feel like?
“What does your pain feel like?” invites description and detail, so it is open-ended.