Which of the following would be considered an open-ended question?

Which of the following would be considered an open-ended question?

• A. Tell me more about your reaction to the accident?
• B. What time do you generally eat dinner?
• C. How old were you when your father left?
• D. Are you sad today?

Answer: (A)

Open-ended questions invite the patient to describe their experiences, feelings, and thoughts in their own words, rather than getting a simple yes, no, or a specific fact. The prompt “Tell me more about your reaction to the accident?” encourages a detailed narrative about emotions, thoughts, and impact, which provides richer information for assessment and rapport-building. In contrast, the other prompts request specific factual details or a brief yes/no answer, yielding limited information about the person’s current mood or history. This makes the open-ended option the best choice for exploring the patient’s emotional and psychological response to the accident.

Open-ended questions invite the patient to describe their experiences, feelings, and thoughts in their own words, rather than getting a simple yes, no, or a specific fact. The prompt “Tell me more about your reaction to the accident?” encourages a detailed narrative about emotions, thoughts, and impact, which provides richer information for assessment and rapport-building. In contrast, the other prompts request specific factual details or a brief yes/no answer, yielding limited information about the person’s current mood or history. This makes the open-ended option the best choice for exploring the patient’s emotional and psychological response to the accident.