16: Communication and Customer Service

A medical assistant is checking in a patient who does not speak the same language as the medical assistant. Which of the following actions should the medical assistant take?

• Ask a bilingual staff member to assist with communication
• Address the patient by first name
• Use medical terminology when speaking to the patient
• Avoid using body gestures when communicating

A medical assistant is speaking with a patient. Which of the following might occur as a barrier to communication?

• Empathy
• Rapport
• Active listening
• Stereotyping

A medical assistant is checking in a patient who has hearing loss. Which of the following actions should the medical assistant take?

• Speak loudly to the patient
• Stand within the patient's field of vision
• Use firm touch to get the patient's attendtion
• Minimize hand gestures when speaking

A medical assistant is providing discharge instructions for a patient who has visually impairment. Which of the following actions should the medical assistant take?

• Use a low tone when communicating
• Notify the patient when entering the room
• Use body gestures when communicating
• Provide small-font printed material

A patient calls into the office to report that a medication is not working. Which of the following responses should the medical assistant make?

• "I will notify the provider about your situation."
• "You should keep taking the medication until it works."
• "You should double the dose of the medication."
• "I will call the pharmacy to authorize a refill for your medication."

During the admission process, a patient explains manifestation of a chief complaint to a medical assistant. Which of the following actions should the medical assistant take?

• Provide advice about temporary relief measures.
• Document the patient's concerns in the medical record.
• Reassure the patient that there is no immediate cause for worry.
• Evaluate the relevance of the patient's concerns.

When communicating on the telephone with a patient, which of the following actions by a medical assistant demonstrates the use of appropriate technique for outgoing calls?

• Placing the patient on hold when accessing information
• Speaking with an unchanging pitch
• Holding the receiver a minimum of 5 cm (2 in) from the mouth
• Allowing the patient to be the one to end the call

A medical assistant is preparing business correspondence. Which of the following is a characteristic of the modified block letter style?

• Each paragraph is indented.
• The signature is in all capital letters.
• All lines are flush with the left margin.
• The complimentary closing is centered on the page.

In which of the following locations should the inside address appear in a business letter?

• Between the letterhead and the dateline
• Between the dateline and the salutation
• Between the salutation and the subject line
• Between the signature block and the identification line

A medical assistant is caring for a patient who is frustrated and states, "My doctor doesn't have any idea how to treat my condition." Which of the following responses by the medical assistant is an example of therapeutic communication?

• "Your provider is doing everything she can to help you."
• "Don't you want your provider to keep trying to help you get better?"
• "Are you saying that you don't think your provider knows how to help you?"
• "If you don't remain calm, we'll have to ask you to leave the office."