Chapter 13 – Intercultural Communication and Health Care
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CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which of the following is NOT a reason why intercultural communication skills would be
important in the health communication context?
a. The population is increasingly diverse.
2. Which of the following statements is true about patients communicating in a second language?
d. It is unlikely that such patients will face any problems because medical vocabulary is
standard.
3. The case of Setsuko, a Japanese woman who became depressed but did not ask directly for
treatment, illustrates _____.
d. the differential treatment of people based on their culture
4. In the United States, disclosure of health information is guided by a federal law known as the
_____.
a. Affordable Health Care for America Act
5. According to Larry Gross, AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome) taught us that:
a. homophobia increased with the AIDS epidemic.
d. the U.S. health care system is quick to respond to a crisis.
6. Which of the following statements is true about the Tuskegee Syphilis Project?
a. It aimed to create greater awareness of the documented history of racial discrimination
against African Americans in the health care system.
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7. Health care provided outside of the traditional Western medical system is called _____.
a. stigmatized care
8. Which of the following is NOT true about the communication between a physician and a
patient?
a. It is marked by an imbalance in medical knowledge.
10. Which of the following is one of the American states that have the highest obesity rates?
d. Vermont
11. Which of the following statements best defines strict paternalism?
d. It refers to when a physician chooses to communicate the entire diagnosis to a patient.
12. Dr. Vikram does not inform his patient that she has a terminal heart disease. He thinks this
knowledge will create a stressful environment, which may affect the patient’s health
adversely. Instead, he tells her that she has minor acid reflux problems and low blood
pressure. In this scenario, Dr. Vikram is using the general framework of _____ for giving
information to patients.
a. unmitigated honesty
13. _____ occurs when a physician chooses to communicate only a part of a patient’s diagnosis
because he or she feels it is in the patient’s best interest to know only some of the facts.
a. Unmitigated honesty
14. Dr. Lee tells Jim he has prostate cancer but does not tell him it is at an a stage. Dr. Lee has
used the _____ framework for providing patients with information.
a. unmitigated honesty
Chapter 13 – Intercultural Communication and Health Care
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c. strict paternalism
*d. benevolent deception
15. The communication practice of only telling a patient what he or she wants to hear is known
as _____.
a. unmitigated honesty
16. Sarah tells her doctor, “I only want to hear about successful operations of this type. Do not
tell me about what might go wrong.” If the physician complies with Sarah’s wishes, she
would be operating within the _____ framework for providing patients with information.
a. unmitigated honesty
17. Which of the following statements best defines unmitigated honesty?
d. It refers to when a physician tells a patient only what the patient wants to know.
18. Lynn asks her doctor to tell her everything he knows about her condition. She thinks not
knowing the truth is more painful than having all the facts. Lynn is asking her doctor to use
the _____ framework for providing patients with information.
d. benevolent deception
19. Dr. Adler, a heart surgeon, is treating Martha, a patient suffering from coronary heart disease.
Dr. Adler chooses to disclose all the details pertaining to Martha’s heart condition to her. He
believes that this is the best communication route as a protection against lawsuits. In this
scenario, Dr. Adler is using the general framework of _____ for giving information to
Martha.
a. strict paternalism
20. Anahid is a Muslim immigrant who finds herself in an emergency room. A male doctor and a
male nurse attend to her. When her husband arrives, he is enraged to learn that her modesty
has been violated. Anahid’s husband’s reaction is probably the result of _____.
Chapter 13 – Intercultural Communication and Health Care
a. her husband’s inability to speak English
True or False
21. AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome) is easily discussed around the world because
it is so widespread.
22. Western physicians tend to rely heavily on physical symptoms to evaluate illness, rather than
communicating with patients about what they are experiencing.
23. In the past, medical studies about racial differences were used to justify immigration
restrictions, slavery, and other social inequalities.
24. The Tuskegee Syphilis Project was terminated when a health care worker leaked the study to
a newspaper.
25. Health care professionals can generally keep their prejudices out of their professional lives.
26. Some health care professionals prefer to engage in strict paternalism as a protection against
lawsuits.
27. Fear of malpractice suits often guides many ethical decisions.
28. In some religious systems, euthanasia is seen as suicide and is therefore unacceptable.
Essay Questions
29. Why would it be important to look at intercultural communication in the health care context?
