Deck 1: Introduction

Question 1

Which of the following best describes health as defined by the World Health Organization?

A) Healthy is the opposite of sick.
B) If you do not have a disease or injury, you are healthy.
C) Health is a state of physical, mental, and social well-being.
D) Health is an unobtainable condition of nearly perfect physical functioning.

Answer 1

C
Explanation: That's right! The WHO defines health as "a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity."

Question 2

What is the significance of defining health communication as a process?

A) Meaning is interpreted in light of past and present experiences as well as expectations for the future.
B) Because they are part of a process, communication episodes have clear beginnings and endings.
C) A person can be healthy today but sick tomorrow. It's hard to predict.
D) The best communicators follow set guidelines about what to say first, second, and so on.

Answer 2

A
Explanation: As a process, communication does not happen within people, but between them, in the midst of many factors that influence how they behave and what sense they make of the situation and each other.

Question 3

Which of the following best describes the "A Memorable Hospital Experience" case study?

A) The writer will never forget how rude the staff was during a hospital stay years ago.
B) The writer was so moved by the care her sister received at St. Jude that she vowed to pursue a career helping patients and their families.
C) The writer can still vividly recall her first day on the job as a nurse at a Shriners Hospital for young patients recovering from burns and osteopathic injuries.
D) The writer remembers the heroic life-saving measures that saved her from near-certain death after her medical condition was misdiagnosed.

Answer 3

B
Explanation: The writer's experience with St. Jude was so powerful that she did indeed go on to work in a nonprofit organization devoted to helping children.

Question 4

Which of the following is most true of health communication techniques?

A) Cultural and personal expectations influence what is appropriate in any given situation.
B) The best use of your time is to master a series of key behaviors that work well in every setting.
C) It's never appropriate to laugh when a patient makes a joke about their condition.
D) Most people are naturally adept at communicating about serious health issues.

Question 5

"We can find out what is wrong with this patient by doing some blood tests." The idea that health is a physical phenomenon that can be explained and treated through physical means is consistent with which model?

A) Biopsychosocial
B) Paternalistic
C) Biomedical
D) Sociocultural

Question 6

According to the book, which of the following is an important reason to study health communication?

A) Communication is an important source of personal confidence and coping ability.
B) Effective communication saves time and money.
C) Communication helps people in health care organizations operate efficiently.
D) All of these are important reasons.

Question 7

All of the following are important to our definition of communication EXCEPT:

A) Personal goals
B) Shared meaning
C) Autonomy
D) Sensitivity

Question 8

Which of the following is true of today's United States health care industry?

A) It employs approximately 18 million people.
B) The number of health-related occupations is slowly increasing.
C) Almost all jobs in the industry involve direct patient care.
D) Health care reform has decreased demand for health care professionals.

Question 9

Pablo is inspired more by a video game that features people and scenarios that are familiar to him than by a televised PSA featuring "rich kids" who don't know what his life is like. Which of the following reflects the idea that health is embedded in shared values, traditions, and rituals?

A) Mechano model
B) Sociocultural perspective
C) Biomedical model
D) Social relevance axiom

Question 10

A nurse's aide who asks, "How does this condition affect your relationships and home life?" is behaving in line with the assumptions of which medical model?

A) Mechano model
B) Biomedical model
C) Biopsychosocial model
D) Social relevance theory

Question 11

Renaldo has no specific illness, yet he hasn't felt well for several weeks, perhaps because he misses his parents since moving away to college. According to the definition of health supported by the World Health Organization:

A) Since laboratory tests do not reveal an illness, we may consider Renaldo healthy.
B) Renaldo is not in good health.
C) If Renaldo is not careful, he may become ill.
D) Renaldo's illness is probably all in his head.

Question 12

Patricia, a home health aide, is frustrated with a client's family, but she realizes that alienating them would be a bad idea since she and her client need their help. The idea that we construct meaning in a process of ongoing, reciprocal influence is best described as:

A) The sociobiological perspective
B) Social exchange theory
C) The transactional model of communication
D) Communication Accommodation Theory

Question 13

Julio is trained in cardiovascular technology, but he considers that a major part of his job is making patients feel comfortable, so he strives to remember patients' names and ask about their children and hobbies. Attention to patients' social well-being as well as their physical health is part of which medical model?

A) Biopsychosocial
B) Biomedical
C) Paternalistic
D) Organic

Question 14

According to research described in your book, patients who are more likely than others to be satisfied, trust diagnoses, and carry out treatment advice.

A) listen carefully to caregivers' directions
B) study medical terminology in a college course
C) take an active role in medical encounters
D) have an external locus of control

Question 15

The nurse says that your lab results look okay, but she seems worried and she looks you in the eye a little longer than usual with an expression that seems to convey concern. The idea that we pay attention both to what people say and how they behave is called:

A) Content-level meaning
B) The perceptual impact hypothesis
C) The relational approach
D) Relational-level meaning

Question 16

Julia visits the doctor when her back pain begins to interfere with work and home life. For her, the symptoms are bearable, but it is unacceptable to disappoint people who are counting on her. Her perspective is compatible with which medical model?

A) Biomedical
B) Biopsychosocial
C) Mechano
D) Perceptual Impact

Question 17

Which of the following best illustrates the idea that meaning is shared-that is, it exists in participants' mutual interpretations?

A) The sonographer seeks to put a patient at ease by saying, "I'll be right here." The patient smiles in gratitude.
B) The doctor correctly concludes that her assistant is worried based on the assistant's worried expression.
C) A therapist who has known a particular patient for a long time says "Not you again!" when the patient walks in. Both laugh.
D) All of these illustrate it.

Question 18

All of the following are implications of the definition of communication provided in your book EXCEPT:

A) It is important to identify communication strategies that work in every situation.
B) People should try to understand each other's expectations.
C) How effective communication is depends on circumstances and goals.
D) Our expectations reflect our personal experiences, emotions, and cultural beliefs.

Question 19

Which of the following best illustrates the nature of a system, such as health care?

A) The system tends to have little influence on the people who actually work in it.
B) The system tends to become increasingly simple over time.
C) The system tends to resist radical change.
D) The system is usually separate from the larger environment in which it operates.

Question 20

Based on the World Health Organization's International Classification for Functioning, Disability and (ICF) model, if you don't hear very well but you get along quite well with closed captioning on your computer and TV and sign language interpreters at public events, your relatively low ________________ is balanced by satisfactory ______________.

A) capacity, performance
B) method, outcomes
C) image, identity
D) outlook, morale

Question 21

Transactional communication has no set beginning or ending.

Question 22

Health communication is defined as "the way we seek, process, and share health information."

Question 23

Health communication is concerned almost entirely with doctor-patient interactions.

Question 24

The psychosymptomatic model of medicine is based on the premise that ill health is a physical phenomenon that can be explained, identified, and treated through physical means.

Question 25

From the biopsychosocial perspective, physicians are like mechanics and patients are like machines.

Question 26

In the United States, the number of health-related positions is increasingly more rapidly than job growth in other fields.

Question 27

Clinics and hospitals aren't going away, but additional services are emerging that embed health care more into everyday life.

Question 28

In a system as complex as health care, superficial "fixes" seldom lead to long-term success.

Question 29

Based on the World Health Organization's International Classification for Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) model, a person may experience better health because their environment changes even if their physical condition stays the same.

Question 30

How are the biomedical, biopsychosocial, and sociocultural health perspectives different? How are they alike?

Question 31

Based on the discussion in your book, name and describe four ways that communication influences health.

Question 32

A friend of yours has been diagnosed with drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB). The disease is highly contagious and can be deadly. Your friend's doctors have urged her to wear a surgical mask when she is around others, but she is too embarrassed to do so. You wonder if you should you tell people about your friend's diagnosis even though she has asked you not to. In your answer, address at least five of the questions presented in Chapter 1 for evaluating ethical dilemmas.