MTM Health Literacy & Patient Counseling 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A patient says they stopped taking their antihypertensive because they 'felt fine.' This reflects which barrier to medication adherence?
- Financial constraints
- Asymptomatic disease misunderstanding (Correct answer)
- Medication side effects
- Pill burden fatigue
Correct answer: Asymptomatic disease misunderstanding
Patients with asymptomatic conditions like hypertension often discontinue medications when they feel well because they don't perceive ongoing need.
Question 2: Numeracy as a component of health literacy refers to a patient's ability to:
- Recall the names of their medications accurately
- Understand and use numerical health information such as dosing schedules and lab values (Correct answer)
- Navigate the healthcare system to obtain prescriptions
- Communicate symptoms to their provider using correct medical terms
Correct answer: Understand and use numerical health information such as dosing schedules and lab values
Health numeracy involves interpreting numbers in medical contexts, such as dosing intervals, blood glucose targets, and percentage-based risk information.
Question 3: Which of the following is an example of an 'open-ended' question during a patient counseling session?
- 'Do you take this medication with food?'
- 'Tell me how you have been taking your blood pressure medication.' (Correct answer)
- 'Is this the first time you have taken this drug?'
- 'Have you experienced any nausea?'
Correct answer: 'Tell me how you have been taking your blood pressure medication.'
Open-ended questions invite patients to describe their experience in their own words, revealing more information than yes/no questions.
Question 4: A pharmacist conducting MTM identifies that a patient's insulin pen technique is incorrect. The BEST initial response is to:
- Document the error and notify the prescriber without involving the patient
- Demonstrate the correct technique and ask the patient to return-demonstrate (Correct answer)
- Provide a written instruction sheet and schedule a follow-up call
- Contact the patient's caregiver to ensure proper administration
Correct answer: Demonstrate the correct technique and ask the patient to return-demonstrate
Demonstration followed by return demonstration (show-back) is the gold standard for verifying correct device technique.
Question 5: Cultural competence in patient counseling primarily requires pharmacists to:
- Learn every cultural tradition of patients they are likely to encounter
- Recognize how cultural beliefs and values may influence a patient's health decisions (Correct answer)
- Translate all written materials into the patient's native language
- Avoid discussing medications that conflict with cultural or religious beliefs
Correct answer: Recognize how cultural beliefs and values may influence a patient's health decisions
Cultural competence means understanding how cultural context shapes health behaviors and adapting communication accordingly, not memorizing every tradition.
Question 6: The 'chunk and check' technique during patient counseling involves:
- Dividing the cost of medications into manageable payment portions
- Providing one piece of information at a time and verifying understanding before continuing (Correct answer)
- Grouping medications by drug class for easier patient recall
- Checking the medication package insert before counseling
Correct answer: Providing one piece of information at a time and verifying understanding before continuing
Chunk and check prevents information overload by confirming comprehension after each small segment of information before moving on.
Question 7: A patient with health literacy challenges is MOST likely to have difficulty with which medication-related task?
- Identifying the color and shape of their medication tablets
- Interpreting a prescription label that includes 'take as directed' (Correct answer)
- Requesting a refill by calling the pharmacy phone line
- Recognizing that a generic and brand medication contain the same active ingredient
Correct answer: Interpreting a prescription label that includes 'take as directed'
Vague instructions like 'take as directed' require patients to recall verbal instructions, making them particularly hazardous for patients with low health literacy.
MTM Health Literacy & Patient Counseling 3
A patient says they stopped taking their antihypertensive because they 'felt fine.' This reflects which barrier to medication adherence?