FFICM Patient Communication Skills 3

Question 1

A patient with severe ARDS is conscious but unable to speak due to an endotracheal tube. She appears to be trying to write something. The correct action is:

Accepted Answer

Provide a pen and pad or whiteboard and allow her to write her message

Answer

Providing writing materials is a validated, low-tech AAC method that preserves patient autonomy and addresses immediate communication needs.

Question 2

Surrogates of critically ill patients are most prone to which cognitive bias that can impair shared decision-making?

Accepted Answer

Optimism bias overestimating survival probability

Answer

Surrogates consistently overestimate survival probabilities, which is an optimism bias that clinicians must gently address with clear prognostic information.

Question 3

During a family meeting, the intensivist is speaking for 10 uninterrupted minutes about organ dysfunction. According to best-practice communication research, this approach is problematic because:

Accepted Answer

Family members retain information poorly when clinicians dominate speaking time

Answer

Research shows families recall only a fraction of information when clinicians speak at length; the VALUE framework recommends families speak more than clinicians.

Question 4

A patient recovering from ICU delirium expresses shame about hallucinations they experienced. The most therapeutic response from the intensivist is:

Accepted Answer

Reassure them the hallucinations were caused by medications and are not a sign of mental illness

Answer

Normalizing ICU delirium by explaining its physiological basis reduces stigma and psychological distress in recovering patients.

Question 5

Which statement best reflects the principle of 'prognostic disclosure calibration' in ICU communication?

Accepted Answer

Tailor the amount and detail of prognostic information to what the family wants to know

Answer

Calibrated disclosure involves first assessing the family's information preferences and then providing prognostic detail accordingly, respecting individual autonomy.

(FFICM) Final Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine Practice Test

(FFICM) Final Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine Practice Test

FFICM Patient Communication Skills 3