Patient Communication Skills Flashcards
7 cards from real ABA practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Patient Communication Skills flashcards as text
A patient rates their postoperative pain as 8/10 but appears calm and is not requesting medication. What is the most appropriate anesthesiologist response?
Answer: Accept the patient's self-report as the primary measure and address pain management accordingly
Self-report is the gold standard for pain assessment; behavioral appearance does not reliably indicate pain level.
An anesthesiologist must deliver unexpected bad news to a family that their relative died intraoperatively. Which communication framework is most appropriate?
Answer: Use the SPIKES protocol: Setting, Perception, Invitation, Knowledge, Empathy, Summary/Strategy
The SPIKES protocol is the evidence-based framework for delivering serious news in a structured, compassionate, and clear manner.
During a pre-operative block consent discussion, the patient keeps interrupting with unrelated questions. What is the most effective communication strategy?
Answer: Acknowledge the patient's questions, briefly answer them, and redirect to the consent discussion
Acknowledging and briefly addressing interruptions builds rapport and maintains the patient's engagement in the essential consent conversation.
A patient from a culture where direct discussion of death is considered taboo requires consent for a high-risk cardiac procedure. How should the anesthesiologist approach mortality risk disclosure?
Answer: Ask the patient about their communication preferences and tailor disclosure to their expressed wishes while ensuring legal requirements are met
Asking patients about their communication preferences honors cultural values while ensuring legally adequate and patient-centered informed consent.
A patient with health literacy challenges nods aggressively during a consent explanation but cannot answer a single teach-back question. What should the anesthesiologist do?
Answer: Re-explain key information using plain language, visual aids, and shorter segments, then re-check comprehension
When teach-back fails, the anesthesiologist must re-educate using simplified language and alternative methods before consent is complete.
A patient asks whether a specific anesthesiologist — not the one consenting them — will be present for their procedure. What is the most ethical and transparent response?
Answer: Honestly explain the coverage model, who will be involved in their care, and allow the patient to ask further questions
Patients have a right to know who will deliver their care; honest disclosure about care team composition is an ethical obligation.
Following an unanticipated difficult intubation requiring an awake fiberoptic technique, what communication responsibility does the anesthesiologist have regarding future care?
Answer: Inform the patient of the difficult airway finding, document it, and recommend they obtain a MedicAlert identifier
Patients must be informed of a difficult airway, have it documented, and be counseled to carry notification (e.g., MedicAlert) to protect them in future emergencies.