Patient Communication Skills Flashcards
7 cards from real ABCN 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's feedback reveals a new diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Which topic should the neuropsychologist proactively address in the session?
Answer: Safety considerations such as driving and medication management
MCI diagnoses require proactive discussion of functional safety issues, as patients may lack insight into risks associated with cognitive decline.
A patient interrupts the feedback session to say, 'Just tell me: am I losing my mind?' The clinician's most effective response is to:
Answer: Acknowledge the urgency of the question, then provide a contextualized and compassionate answer
Acknowledging the patient's emotional urgency before answering builds trust and ensures the response is received within a supportive context.
In communicating a diagnosis of a neurodevelopmental disorder to an adult patient, the most important framing strategy is to:
Answer: Present the diagnosis as an explanation, not a limitation, while highlighting strengths
Framing diagnoses as explanatory rather than defining helps patients integrate the information constructively and reduces internalized stigma.
Which behavior by a neuropsychologist during feedback MOST undermines the therapeutic alliance?
Answer: Reading directly from the report without making eye contact
Reading from the report without eye contact signals disengagement and transforms a potentially powerful therapeutic encounter into a passive information transfer.
When a patient with executive dysfunction disagrees with their feedback, the clinician should:
Answer: Validate the patient's perspective while gently exploring evidence from multiple sources
Validating the patient's perspective while inviting exploration of evidence maintains alliance and respects the impact of executive dysfunction on self-awareness.
A patient reports feeling 'stupid' after receiving their neuropsychological results. The clinician's most appropriate response addresses:
Answer: The inaccuracy of intelligence as a measure of self-worth
Directly challenging the conflation of test performance with intelligence or self-worth is a therapeutically essential communication goal in neuropsychological feedback.
Which of the following is an example of the 'collaborative model' of neuropsychological feedback?
Answer: The clinician and patient together review findings and co-develop recommendations
The collaborative feedback model treats the patient as an active partner in understanding results and developing a meaningful action plan.