BC ADM Psychosocial Support & Care Coordination 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A patient with type 1 diabetes reports feeling 'burned out' and has stopped checking blood glucose regularly. Which intervention is most appropriate as a first step?
- Increase insulin dosing frequency to compensate
- Validate the patient's feelings and collaboratively explore barriers to self-care (Correct answer)
- Refer immediately to psychiatry for medication evaluation
- Discontinue current diabetes education until motivation improves
Correct answer: Validate the patient's feelings and collaboratively explore barriers to self-care
Diabetes distress requires empathetic validation and collaborative problem-solving before intensifying regimens or escalating referrals.
Question 2: Which validated screening tool is specifically designed to assess diabetes-related distress rather than general depression?
- PHQ-9
- GAD-7
- Diabetes Distress Scale (DDS) (Correct answer)
- Beck Anxiety Inventory
Correct answer: Diabetes Distress Scale (DDS)
The Diabetes Distress Scale (DDS) captures emotional burden specific to diabetes management that general depression screens may miss.
Question 3: A care coordinator is helping a patient with diabetes transition from hospital to home. Which element is MOST critical to include in the transition plan?
- Scheduling a follow-up appointment within 7–14 days (Correct answer)
- Providing a list of local gyms
- Ordering a new glucometer regardless of current supply
- Arranging transportation to the pharmacy only
Correct answer: Scheduling a follow-up appointment within 7–14 days
A timely post-discharge follow-up within 1–2 weeks is strongly associated with reduced readmission rates in patients with diabetes.
Question 4: Which of the following best describes 'self-management support' in the context of diabetes care coordination?
- Providing patients with written instructions only
- Helping patients develop skills and confidence to manage their own health between visits (Correct answer)
- Scheduling all appointments on behalf of the patient
- Dispensing medications without a provider order
Correct answer: Helping patients develop skills and confidence to manage their own health between visits
Self-management support empowers patients to actively participate in their care by building skills, knowledge, and confidence.
Question 5: A patient with diabetes and low health literacy struggles to understand their discharge instructions. What is the most evidence-based approach?
- Provide longer written documents with more detail
- Use teach-back method with plain language and visual aids (Correct answer)
- Ask a family member to read instructions on the patient's behalf
- Simplify instructions by omitting complex medication details
Correct answer: Use teach-back method with plain language and visual aids
The teach-back method combined with plain language and visuals is the gold standard for confirming comprehension in patients with low health literacy.
Question 6: When coordinating care for an older adult with diabetes and mild cognitive impairment, which strategy is MOST important?
- Discontinue all non-essential medications immediately
- Simplify the treatment regimen and involve a reliable caregiver (Correct answer)
- Intensify glycemic targets to prevent complications
- Defer all diabetes management decisions to family members
Correct answer: Simplify the treatment regimen and involve a reliable caregiver
Simplifying regimens and engaging a reliable caregiver reduces errors and improves safety in patients with cognitive impairment.
Question 7: A patient with type 2 diabetes discloses food insecurity during a routine visit. What is the most appropriate care coordination response?
- Advise the patient to purchase lower-cost groceries independently
- Screen formally and connect the patient to community food assistance resources (Correct answer)
- Reduce diabetes medications to lower out-of-pocket costs
- Refer to a dietitian without addressing the food access issue
Correct answer: Screen formally and connect the patient to community food assistance resources
Formal food insecurity screening followed by referral to community resources addresses a social determinant that directly impacts glycemic control.
BC ADM Psychosocial Support & Care Coordination 2
A patient with type 1 diabetes reports feeling 'burned out' and has stopped checking blood glucose regularly.
Which intervention is most appropriate as a first step?