Patient Communication Skills Flashcards

Which communication barrier is MOST likely to occur when a healthcare worker uses medical jargon with a patient?

Answer: Patient misunderstanding of health information

Medical jargon is unfamiliar to most patients and leads to misunderstanding of instructions, diagnoses, or treatment plans.

A healthcare worker paraphrases a patient's statement back to them. This technique is called:

Answer: Reflection

Reflection involves restating the patient's message in the clinician's own words to confirm understanding and show empathy.

Proxemics in healthcare communication refers to:

Answer: The physical distance maintained during interactions

Proxemics is the study of personal space, and maintaining appropriate distance is critical to patient comfort and therapeutic rapport.

The 'teach-back' method is used to:

Answer: Verify that a patient has understood discharge instructions

Teach-back asks patients to explain information back in their own words, confirming comprehension and identifying gaps.

A patient from a culture where direct eye contact is considered disrespectful avoids looking at the clinician. The healthcare worker should:

Answer: Recognize this as a cultural norm and adjust expectations

Cultural competence requires recognizing that communication norms vary and adjusting one's own expectations accordingly.

Which type of nonverbal communication involves facial expressions, gestures, and posture?

Answer: Kinesics

Kinesics refers to body language including facial expressions, gestures, and posture that convey meaning during communication.

A patient asks a healthcare worker not to share their diagnosis with their spouse. The worker should:

Answer: Honor the patient's request in accordance with HIPAA privacy rights

HIPAA grants competent adult patients the right to control who receives their protected health information.