NHI Communication Skills 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A patient with hearing loss is struggling to understand your instructions. What is the BEST initial approach?
- Speak louder and faster to compensate
- Face the patient directly and speak clearly at a normal pace (Correct answer)
- Write everything down and avoid speaking
- Ask a family member to relay all information
Correct answer: Face the patient directly and speak clearly at a normal pace
Facing the patient and speaking clearly allows them to use lip-reading cues and benefit from visual communication alongside auditory input.
Question 2: Which of the following is an example of an open-ended question?
- Did you take your medication today?
- Is your pain a 5 out of 10?
- Can you describe how you have been feeling this week? (Correct answer)
- Do you have any allergies?
Correct answer: Can you describe how you have been feeling this week?
Open-ended questions invite detailed responses and cannot be answered with a simple yes or no.
Question 3: When documenting patient information, which principle is most important?
- Use abbreviations freely to save time
- Record only information you believe is relevant
- Document objectively, accurately, and in a timely manner (Correct answer)
- Copy previous notes to ensure consistency
Correct answer: Document objectively, accurately, and in a timely manner
Accurate, objective, and timely documentation ensures continuity of care and legal protection for all parties.
Question 4: A coworker shares confidential patient information in the break room. You should:
- Join the conversation since you also treat the patient
- Ignore it since it is a common practice
- Remind the coworker that patient information must remain confidential (Correct answer)
- Report it immediately to the media
Correct answer: Remind the coworker that patient information must remain confidential
HIPAA regulations require protecting patient privacy, and all staff are responsible for maintaining confidentiality in all settings.
Question 5: Which communication barrier is MOST likely caused by medical jargon?
- Physical noise in the environment
- The patient's emotional state
- Lack of shared understanding between sender and receiver (Correct answer)
- Poor eye contact from the healthcare worker
Correct answer: Lack of shared understanding between sender and receiver
Medical jargon creates a semantic barrier when the patient lacks the knowledge to interpret technical terminology.
Question 6: During a phone call with a patient, you should ALWAYS:
- Put them on hold immediately to find their chart
- Identify yourself and your facility at the start of the call (Correct answer)
- Avoid asking for personal information over the phone
- End the call as quickly as possible
Correct answer: Identify yourself and your facility at the start of the call
Proper phone etiquette in healthcare begins with identifying yourself and your organization to establish trust and professionalism.
Question 7: Therapeutic communication differs from social communication primarily because it:
- Uses only written forms of communication
- Is focused on the patient's needs and well-being (Correct answer)
- Requires the use of medical terminology
- Avoids emotional topics entirely
Correct answer: Is focused on the patient's needs and well-being
Therapeutic communication is a purposeful, patient-centered approach aimed at supporting and understanding the patient's health needs.
NHI Communication Skills 2
A patient with hearing loss is struggling to understand your instructions.
What is the BEST initial approach?