ACBN Communication & Stakeholder Relations 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A client expresses shame about their eating habits during a counseling session. The most therapeutic response is:
- Reassure them that their diet is not that bad
- Validate their feelings and explore underlying factors non-judgmentally (Correct answer)
- Quickly move to solutions to avoid dwelling on emotions
- Remind them of the health risks of their current diet
Correct answer: Validate their feelings and explore underlying factors non-judgmentally
Non-judgmental validation builds trust and creates a safe environment for honest disclosure and behavior change.
Question 2: Which communication channel is generally most effective for delivering complex dietary education to a low-literacy patient?
- Dense written brochures
- Verbal explanation combined with visual aids and teach-back (Correct answer)
- Online patient portal materials
- Recorded lecture videos
Correct answer: Verbal explanation combined with visual aids and teach-back
Combining verbal explanation with visuals and confirming understanding via teach-back accommodates low-literacy patients most effectively.
Question 3: A nutritionist discovers that a colleague has been providing inaccurate dietary advice to patients. The appropriate first action is:
- Report the colleague anonymously to the board immediately
- Address the concern directly with the colleague or supervisor through proper channels (Correct answer)
- Ignore it if no patient has complained
- Publicly correct the colleague in team meetings
Correct answer: Address the concern directly with the colleague or supervisor through proper channels
Professional standards require addressing concerns about practice through appropriate internal channels before escalating externally.
Question 4: In motivational interviewing, 'rolling with resistance' means:
- Agreeing with the patient to avoid conflict
- Avoiding arguments and exploring the patient's ambivalence instead of opposing it (Correct answer)
- Documenting the patient's refusal and moving on
- Repeating the message until the patient agrees
Correct answer: Avoiding arguments and exploring the patient's ambivalence instead of opposing it
Rolling with resistance involves acknowledging ambivalence without confrontation to keep the client engaged in the change process.
Question 5: When writing a nutrition assessment for a referring physician, the nutritionist should prioritize:
- Using technical jargon to demonstrate expertise
- Clear, concise clinical information relevant to the physician's treatment decisions (Correct answer)
- A comprehensive history of the patient's lifetime diet
- Only the nutritionist's personal recommendations
Correct answer: Clear, concise clinical information relevant to the physician's treatment decisions
Referral communications should be clinically focused and actionable to support the receiving provider's decision-making.
Question 6: A nutritionist is presenting at a community health fair. Which approach best adapts the message for a general audience?
- Use the same evidence-based lecture format as professional conferences
- Simplify language, use relatable examples, and invite audience questions (Correct answer)
- Distribute research journal articles for attendees to read later
- Focus on technical nutrient metabolism details
Correct answer: Simplify language, use relatable examples, and invite audience questions
Health communication with a general audience requires plain language, relatable examples, and interactive engagement.
Question 7: Which of the following is an example of a SMART goal collaboratively set with a patient?
- Eat healthier starting now
- Reduce daily sodium intake to under 2,300 mg within four weeks by reading food labels (Correct answer)
- Try to exercise more and eat less
- Improve overall diet quality eventually
Correct answer: Reduce daily sodium intake to under 2,300 mg within four weeks by reading food labels
SMART goals are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound, making them actionable and trackable.
ACBN Communication & Stakeholder Relations 3
A client expresses shame about their eating habits during a counseling session.
The most therapeutic response is: