Patient Communication and Education Flashcards

A 17-year-old patient asks the medical assistant to keep their STI test results private from their parents. The medical assistant should:

Answer: Honor the request; minors generally have the right to confidential STI testing and treatment in most states

Most states allow minors to consent to and receive confidential STI testing and treatment without parental involvement, to encourage testing and reduce barriers.

The stages of grief described by Kübler-Ross, in order, are:

Answer: Denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance

Kübler-Ross described five stages: Denial → Anger → Bargaining → Depression → Acceptance (DABDA). These are not strictly sequential and vary by individual.

A patient from a different cultural background avoids eye contact during the clinical interview. The medical assistant should:

Answer: Recognize this as a cultural norm indicating respect, not disengagement

In many Asian, Native American, Middle Eastern, and some African cultures, avoiding direct eye contact is a sign of respect and deference, not disinterest or dishonesty.

The best approach when leaving a message about test results on voicemail is to:

Answer: Leave minimal identifying information and ask the patient to call back unless the patient pre-authorized full voicemail messages

HIPAA permits leaving voicemail but requires limiting information to minimum necessary. Best practice is to leave name, callback number, and request to call back unless the patient authorized leaving clinical details.

A patient who is visually impaired requires patient education. The medical assistant should:

Answer: Provide information in an accessible format such as large print, audio recording, or braille, and verbally explain all written materials

The ADA requires adapting educational materials to meet each patient's needs, including alternative formats for visually impaired patients such as large print, audio, or braille.

The motivational interviewing technique of 'rolling with resistance' means:

Answer: Avoiding confrontation and exploring the patient's reasons for ambivalence rather than pushing back

Rolling with resistance is a motivational interviewing principle where the practitioner does not argue or confront resistance but instead reflects it and explores ambivalence to build intrinsic motivation.