Quiz 3: Communication

Please choose the one, most correct answer to each question or statement.

1. Good communication is:
   • Not important if the child’s life cannot be saved
   • Not needed if communicating with colleagues as they can read the patient’s clinical record
   • Only important when speaking to patients but not their parents
   • Essential to good patient care
2. Which of the following statements is correct?
   • It is important to speak loudly when interviewing patients
   • Interrupt if you do not agree with what the patient or family says
   • Listening is key to proper communication
   • Show respect by calling the child’s mother ‘Mama’
3. What should you do if a parent wants to speak to you about something important in a busy setting with no privacy?
   • Ignore them
   • Tell them to come back later when it is convenient for you
   • Take them aside and arrange a time that is convenient for you both in a private and confidential space
   • Shout at them
4. What is the role of interpreters?
   • They are very helpful if the health worker cannot communicate in the language of the patient
   • They are helpful when speaking to adults but not children
   • They confuse the patient as the interpreter often cannot understand the medical words used and pass on the wrong information
   • They are no longer needed in modern hospitals
5. Which of the following is a reason we have difficulties breaking bad news?
   • Feeling of failure on the part of the healthcare provider for not meeting the patient’s expectations of a cure
   • Feeling that someone else who does not get emotionally upset should break the news
   • Feeling angry that bad news should not be given in the late afternoon or evening
   • Feeling frustrated because the parents cannot understand what they are being told
6. When breaking bad news, one needs to use the 6-step SPIKES protocol. What does SPIKES stand for?
   • Sitting, Plain language, Interest, Knowledge, Enactment and Stopping
   • Summary, Planning, Incident, Know-how, Engagement and Strategy
   • Silence, Proposal, Interest, Knowledge, Euphemisms and Summary
   • Setting, Perception, Invitation, Knowledge, Empathy, Summary and Strategy
7. Which of the following is important when breaking bad news?
   • Do not tell both parents at the same time
   • Always answer any questions honestly
   • Do not allow the parents to ask questions
   • Pretend that the prognosis is better than it really is
8. Parents often do not want their child to know the severity of their illness and ask that the care team never tell the child anything. What would be the best way to handle this?
   • Agree with them and not tell the child anything
   • Explain to them the importance of the child being aware of what is happening and being involved in decision making
   • Agree with them but then tell the child everything they want to know behind the parents back
   • Lie to the child when they ask you what is going to happen to them
9. When breaking bad news, it is our responsibility to ensure that:
   • Every bit of information is given to the patient straight away irrespective of their state of mind
   • You give all the information you can so that you can get the meeting over and then leave the patient to digest it
   • The patient’s and family’s understanding of the situation is agreed upon and supported even if it is incorrect
   • Information is given at the level of the patient’s and family’s understanding for as long as they can listen
10. When breaking bad news, we employ the WPC approach. What does WPC stand for?
    • Wait, Perform, Choice
    • Worry, Perception, Clarify
    • Warn, Pause, Check
    • Warn, Perception, Clarify
11. The empathic response has three steps. What are those steps?
    • Identify the emotion, express your understanding of the emotion and allow time for the patient to move on
    • Identify the emotion, offer your sympathy and find a solution
    • Identify the emotion, identify the source or cause and respond in an appropriate manner
    • Identify emotion, allow the expression of emotion and allow the patient to move on
12. Being able to communicate well with children is:
    • Something that everyone can do because we all were once children
    • A skill that can be learned and developed over time and with practice
    • Not necessary because you mostly talk with the parents and not the child
    • Not difficult as you should speak to them the same way you would speak to an adult
13. Are the age and stage of development important when communicating with children?
    • The child’s age but not stage of development is important as school class is based on age
    • The child’s stage of development but not age is important
    • Both the child’s age and stage of development are important
    • Neither age nor stage of development is important as the parents should be spoken to and they can tell the child
14. A 5-year-old child may believe they are responsible for their own illness because:
    • They have ‘magical thinking’ and believe that everything happens because of their actions
    • They have been told by a doctor that their illness is punishment for their bad behaviour
    • They cannot understand language well enough to be told that they are not responsible for their own illness
    • Their parents blame them
15. How do many adolescents want to receive bad news?
    • They usually want in-depth knowledge of their condition and prognosis
    • They usually just want the important facts
    • They usually want their parents to give them the bad news and do not want to discuss the details with the healthcare provider
    • They usually do not want to hear any bad news and just pretend they are well
16. You show respect for a child and their personal space when you:
    • Give them a warm hug or pat them on their head when you first meet them
    • Start the physical examination immediately to get it over with quickly
    • Only touch them during a physical examination and speak mostly to their parent or adult carer when doing so
    • Warn them before carrying out a physical examination and explain what you are doing
17. What best describes most dying children’s understanding about death?
    • They usually have no idea that they may be dying unless they are told
    • They mostly have concerns around separation from family and friends and about being in pain
    • They are unable to understand the finality of death
    • They do not want to talk about death with their friends
18. Can toys be used to help communication with children?
    • Yes, they are helpful with most children
    • They are only helpful in pre-school children
    • They are helpful with girls but not boys
    • No, as they will frighten children
19. What is the River of Life exercise?
    • It is a method of strengthening muscles used by physiotherapists
    • It helps small children learn to swim
    • It is a religious organisation working with children needing palliative care
    • It helps children to see that they have the coping skills needed to cope with challenges in their lives
20. Using social media:
    • Can help families feel connected and understand that they are not the only ones who are facing this difficult journey
    • Is not helpful as speaking to people with similar experiences only causes more anxiety
    • Is not helpful as most people do not have mobile phones or home computers
    • Is only helpful to parents but not children or adolescents