Name ______Date ______

Foundation Assessment

Foundation Standard 2: Communications

2.1 Concepts of Effective Communication

  1. Why has the growth of managed care increased the need for improved communication?
  1. Managed care forces patients to pay more for their care, and patients must communicate to assure they get their money’s worth of medical care.
  2. Managed care causes patients to pay for their care up front and then to communicate with the managed care company for all reimbursement.
  3. Managed care systems are large and very complex with a number of rules for the patient to follow, increasing the chance of miscommunication.
  4. Managed care forces the patient to receive his or her care primarily at home, and the health care workers must communicate with the patient using phone and e-mail.
  1. Patient satisfaction from the health care experience is mostly determined by the:
  1. Cost of health care.
  2. Efficiency of the care givers.
  3. Number of services ordered by the physician.
  4. Quality of communication from care givers.
  1. A dentist walks into a room with a client seated in the dental chair. While looking at x-rays, the dentist states “We are going to need to send you to an endodontist.” As the dentist is walking out the door, he adds “My receptionist will make you an appointment.” What message does the dentist’s body language send to the patient?
  1. You need more help than I can give you.
  2. Your gums are in really bad condition.
  3. I am busy and do not really care about you.
  4. I am recommending what is best for you.
  1. What communication behavior by a health care provider demonstrates a sincere concern for the patient’s welfare?
  1. Listening carefully.
  2. Repeating what the patient says.
  3. Maintaining eye contact.
  4. Calling the patient “sweetie.”
  1. Prejudice on the part of a healthcare worker is a barrier to communication because the health care worker will:
  1. See the stereotype and not the individual patient.
  2. Not be able to understand the words the patient uses.
  3. Spend all his/her time being critical of the patient.
  4. Not have the skills to communicate with the patient.
  1. Joyce is working at the Senior Olympics and knows that 25% of the seniors indicated significant hearing loss on their health forms. How should Joyce position herself when talking to a group of these senior athletes?
  1. In a partly shady area.
  2. With the sun in their eyes.
  3. Facing the sun.
  4. About 6 – 12” away.
  1. You are caring for a patient who is visually impaired and need to measure the patient’s vital signs. You should:
  1. Ask the patient’s family to explain what you are going to do to the patient.
  2. Avoid talking while in the patient’s room.
  3. Announce yourself upon entering the room, introduce yourself, and explain what you will be doing.
  4. Greet the patient when entering the room and then carry on a non-threatening conversation to put the patient at ease.
  1. Which of the following is an objective sign of a bruised kidney?
  1. Bloody urine
  2. Flank pain
  3. Difficulty urinating
  4. Nausea
  1. Mrs. Peters is admitted with dizziness and loss of balance. She says she cannot sleep at night because it feels like the room is spinning around. Her complaints are classified as:
  1. Psychosomatic.
  2. Pathologic.
  3. Objective.
  4. Subjective.
  1. Michelle asks Laura to help her make an occupied bed. Laura tells Michelle that she is going on break but she believes Jeremy is available to help. Using the communication model, “I am going on break but I believe Jeremy is available to help.” is best described as:
  1. The sender.
  2. Nonverbal communication.
  3. The message.
  4. Feedback.
  1. What element of the communication model is represented by the letter C in the diagram above?
  1. Feedback
  2. Message
  3. Sender
  4. Receiver
  1. What parts of the communication model above could be nonverbal?
  1. A and B
  2. C and D
  3. A, B, C and D
  4. D only
  1. A patient tells her doctor “I think I want a second opinion.” Which of the following is an example of a paraphrasing response by her doctor?
  1. “So you want us to refer you to a specialist.”
  2. “Why do you think you need a second opinion?”
  3. “Is something else bothering you?”
  4. “Do you disagree with the treatment I’m recommending?”
  1. A patient complains to her physician that “I’m up all night, going to the bathroom.” Her physician replies “About how many times a night do you go to the bathroom?” This response is an example of what feedback method?
  1. Open question
  2. Reflecting
  3. Asking questions
  4. Nonverbal communication
  1. George and Martha are medical assistants in a dermatology office. George asks Martha to “help the patient in room 1.” Martha responds by saying, “Who is in room 1, and what does she need?” The problem with this communication was that the:
  1. Message was not clear.
  2. Sender did not deliver the message in a concise manner.
  3. Receiver could not hear and receive the message.
  4. Message was interrupted.
  1. Jorge, a pharmacist, hears a pharmacy technician speak impatiently to a client at a cash register. How can the pharmacist assure that he effectively communicates his expectations to the technician?
  1. Write the pharmacy technician a letter.
  2. Write a description of the incident on a future job performance evaluation.
  3. Immediately go to the technician at the cash register and explain the importance of being nice to customers.
  4. Invite the technician to a private office and explain the customer service expectations of the pharmacy.
  1. What behavior is a part of active listening?
  1. Asking a lot of questions.
  2. Trying to see the other person’s point of view.
  3. Concentrate on the words the person uses and nothing else.
  4. Interrupt and refocus if the person’s thoughts seem to stray off the topic.
  1. Which of the following is an example of an open-ended question?
  1. “How long have you had this pain?”
  2. “What are you taking to help you sleep?”
  3. “Why do you think you keep gaining weight?”
  4. “Do you feel better when you are sitting or standing?”
  1. If a speaker says she feels fine, but her face looks strained, her eyes are red, and she is frowning, what would most people believe?
  1. She does not feel good.
  2. She feels just fine.
  3. She is not sure how she feels.
  4. She is trying to confuse the listener.
  1. A patient uses profanity when describing his nausea. How should the healthcare worker communicate the patient’s complaint?
  1. Use the patient’s exact words.
  2. State “the patient is complaining of nausea.”
  3. Do not report the patient’s complaint.

1 Foundation Standard 2: 2.1 Effective Communication