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NRM
Quiz
Find out if you're a communication
whiz or wash-out
1. You're on call and
at 3am you're paged to pick up the phone. It's
a young mother in hysterics over her infant son's
fever. You begin:
a) "Hyperpyrexia is a possibility.
We have to avoid a febrile seizure, so please
tell me if your son has been exposed to the Varicella-zoster
virus recently."
b) "I understand you're concerned. Please explain
to me clearly what's wrong and I'll help you."
c) "Lady, it's the middle of the night. I suggest
you go back to bed and see your family doctor
in the morning."
2. A patient presents
with dizziness and accuses you of having given
her the wrong medication. You respond:
a) "Well, you probably didn't
take the medication as directed. Did you read
the instructions?"
b) "I gave you the right medication for your complaints.
It's not my fault if you didn't explain them well
last time you saw me."
c) "Sit down and let's take a look at your condition
and your meds together."
3. A medical records
mix-up, compounded by the death of your fax machine,
makes you late for your first appointment of the
day. You tell your rather put-out patient:
a) "I don't want to be late
for all the rest of my appointments today, so
can you kind of hurry it up?"
b) "OK," you say, while still adjusting your tie
and sipping a coffee, "let's get started."
c) "Sorry for being late — we had some office
problems. If you need more time than we've booked
for today, let my secretary know and we'll set
something up for later this week."
4. Your patient, a 13-year-old,
squirms at the sight of needles. "Is it going
to hurt?" the patient asks as you get ready to
inject a necessary vaccine. You say:
a) "Nah, it'll be fine," even
though you're pretty sure the patient will find
it painful.
b) "Yes, it will, but not too much. I'm sorry,
but we need to do this."
c) Nothing, and stick the needle in. The kid needs
to get used to shots.
5. When you ask about
dietary habits, your increasingly pudgy patient
admits, "I'm so busy at work these days that I
end up eating a lot of fast food." What's your
strategy?
a) Launch into your prepared
15-minute lecture on nutrition and how to lead
a healthy lifestyle.
b) With the patient's input, develop a plan to
improve eating habits and to increase exercise.
c) Tell the patient about the dangers of diabetes
and obesity, pass along a pamphlet or two, and
leave it at that.
ANSWERS: 1 B, 2 C, 3 C, 4 B,
5 B
How did
you do?
0-1
correct Your bedside manner is about
as good as George W Bush's elocution. That is
to say, it ain't great. Better clean up your act
if you want to steer clear of the disciplinary
panel.
2-4
correct Inconsistency is your middle
name. On a good day, your patients get their concerns
addressed genially and in a way they can understand.
But on bad days you're unclear or impatient. Slow
down, and don't get annoyed if your patients don't
always get it on the first go.
5 correct
Your communication skills are the envy of the
hospital. Other doctors might get through their
appointments a bit faster but your patients leave
satisfied, which should satisfy you too.
Some questions adapted from
"Effect of Communications Training on medical
Student Performance," Michael J. Yedidia
et al, JAMA, Sept 3, 2003; Vol 290, No
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