AMCA Psychology and Patient Communication — Questions and Answers
Question 1: According to Maslow's hierarchy of needs, which level MUST be addressed before a patient can focus on safety or emotional needs?
- Self-actualization
- Esteem needs
- Physiological needs (Correct answer)
- Love and belonging
Correct answer: Physiological needs
Maslow's hierarchy places physiological needs (air, water, food, warmth, sleep) at the base. These foundational needs must be met before a person can meaningfully address safety, social, esteem, or self-actualization needs.
Question 2: A patient with a terminal diagnosis begins shouting that the test results must be wrong and demanding a second opinion. According to Kübler-Ross, this patient is most likely in which stage of grief?
- Bargaining
- Depression
- Denial (Correct answer)
- Anger
Correct answer: Denial
Denial is the first stage in Kübler-Ross's model and involves refusing to accept the reality of a diagnosis. The patient's insistence that the results are incorrect is a classic denial response, not anger (which involves blaming others).
Question 3: Which communication technique BEST demonstrates active listening?
- Offering unsolicited medical advice
- Interrupting to complete the patient's sentences
- Maintaining eye contact and restating what the patient said (Correct answer)
- Answering messages on the computer while the patient speaks
Correct answer: Maintaining eye contact and restating what the patient said
Active listening involves giving the patient full attention, making eye contact, and reflecting or paraphrasing what was said to confirm understanding. This builds trust and ensures accurate information gathering.
Question 4: When communicating with a patient who has hearing loss, the medical assistant should FIRST:
- Speak louder and more slowly without other adjustments
- Face the patient directly and ensure good lighting so they can lip-read (Correct answer)
- Write all communications on paper
- Speak to a family member instead
Correct answer: Face the patient directly and ensure good lighting so they can lip-read
Facing the patient, maintaining eye contact, and ensuring adequate lighting are the first adaptations for hearing-impaired communication because many such patients rely on lip reading and facial expressions. Raising volume alone can distort speech.
Question 5: A 4-year-old child refuses to cooperate during a blood draw. Which approach is MOST appropriate based on developmental psychology?
- Restrain the child immediately to complete the procedure quickly
- Use simple words, allow the child to hold a comfort item, and provide praise afterward (Correct answer)
- Ask the child complex questions about why they are afraid
- Tell the child they will not be allowed to leave until they cooperate
Correct answer: Use simple words, allow the child to hold a comfort item, and provide praise afterward
Preschool-age children respond best to age-appropriate language, familiar comfort items, and positive reinforcement. Threats or harsh restraint increase trauma and future medical avoidance; distraction and praise are evidence-based techniques.
Question 6: A defense mechanism in which a patient unconsciously transfers feelings about one person onto the healthcare provider is called:
- Projection
- Transference (Correct answer)
- Rationalization
- Displacement
Correct answer: Transference
Transference occurs when a patient redirects emotions felt toward a significant person in their life (e.g., a parent) onto the clinician. Recognizing transference helps healthcare workers avoid taking patient reactions personally and respond therapeutically.
AMCA Psychology and Patient Communication
According to Maslow's hierarchy of needs, which level MUST be addressed before a patient can focus on safety or emotional needs?