Using Cultural Information
What is the most appropriate way to use cultural information in patient care?
A. Memorize cultural traits of different groups
B. Use cultural information as a guideline to understand the patient’s worldview
C. Ignore cultural differences
D. Focus only on physical symptoms
B. Use cultural information as a guideline to understand the patient’s worldview
Cultural information should guide understanding of the individual patient, not replace individualized assessment.
What is the primary purpose of the revised cultural formulation?
A. Create a checklist of cultural traits
B. Systematically review and report a patient’s cultural background
C. Replace patient interviews
D. Simplify diagnosis
B. Systematically review and report a patient’s cultural background
The cultural formulation organizes relevant cultural information for care planning.
n the LEARN model, the “L” stands for:
A. Learn medical history
B. Listen with sympathy and understanding
C. Leverage stereotypes
D. Lead treatment
B. Listen with sympathy and understanding
Listening is the foundation for understanding the patient’s perspective.
In the RESPECT model, empathy involves:
A. Giving medical advice
B. Understanding the patient’s rationale and feelings
C. Explaining treatment
D. Enforcing compliance
B. Understanding the patient’s rationale and feelings
Empathy validates the patient’s experience.
What is the primary role of an interpreter in healthcare?
A. Provide medical advice
B. Avoid miscommunication and accurately elicit information
C. Make treatment decisions
D. Replace the provider
B. Avoid miscommunication and accurately elicit information
Interpreters facilitate accurate communication, not care decisions.
The phrase “think globally but act locally” in healthcare means:
A. Apply general cultural knowledge to all patients
B. Memorize cultural facts
C. Understand the individual patient’s specific experience of illness
D. Use universal treatments
C. Understand the individual patient’s specific experience of illness
Providers should understand broad cultural context while responding to the individual patient.
The explanatory model approach is designed to:
A. Create a cultural profile of a group
B. Elicit the patient’s personal explanation of their illness
C. Provide standardized treatment
D. Reduce cultural considerations
B. Elicit the patient’s personal explanation of their illness
The goal is understanding how the patient explains their illness.
Which step of LEARN involves explaining the healthcare provider’s perception?
A. Listen
B. Explain
C. Acknowledge
D. Negotiate
B. Explain
Providers share their understanding after listening to the patient.
Which RESPECT component focuses on identifying barriers to care?
A. Rapport
B. Empathy
C. Support
D. Trust
C. Support
Support addresses obstacles and promotes adherence.
Which interpreting service allows real-time communication without pauses?
A. Telephonic interpreting
B. Community volunteers
C. Remote simultaneous medical interpreting (RSMI)
D. Contract interpreters
C. Remote simultaneous medical interpreting (RSMI)
RSMI provides near-simultaneous interpretation.
Why is it important to recognize variation within cultural groups?
A. To avoid generalizations that may not apply to individual patients
B. To create universal treatments
C. To simplify diagnosis
D. To ensure identical care
A. To avoid generalizations that may not apply to individual patients
There is often more variation within groups than between them.
Which of the following is NOT a cultural formulation question?
A. Cultural identity
B. Cultural explanations of illness
C. Economic background
D. Cultural factors related to psychosocial environment
C. Economic background
Economic background alone is not one of the formal cultural formulation questions.
What is the purpose of the “Acknowledge” step in LEARN?
A. Ignore differences
B. End the conversation
C. Discuss similarities and differences between perspectives
D. Recommend treatment
C. Discuss similarities and differences between perspectives
Differences must be recognized before moving forward.
Partnership in the RESPECT model means:
A. Provider control
B. Patient compliance
C. Flexibility and shared responsibility
D. Avoiding negotiation
C. Flexibility and shared responsibility
Partnership emphasizes collaboration.
Why should family members generally not be used as interpreters?
A. They are always biased
B. They lack medical training and may alter information
C. They violate laws
D. They are inconvenient
B. They lack medical training and may alter information
Accuracy, ethics, and power dynamics are compromised.
Which approach is most likely to undermine culturally competent care?
A. Individualized assessment
B. Patient-centered communication
C. Exploration of illness meaning
D. Relying on memorized cultural characteristics
D. Relying on memorized cultural characteristics
Memorization encourages stereotyping and ignores individual differences.
What is the first step in Kleinman and Benson’s Revised Cultural Formulation?
A. Exploring the illness narrative
B. Determining the patient’s ethnic identity
C. Discussing psychosocial stress
D. Examining the clinical relationship
B. Determining the patient’s ethnic identity
Ethnic identity is assessed first, without assuming relevance.
Which LEARN step incorporates cultural considerations into care planning?
A. Listen
B. Explain
C. Acknowledge
D. Recommend
D. Recommend
Treatment recommendations should reflect cultural context.
The “Trust” component of RESPECT is especially important because:
A. It shortens visits
B. It reduces documentation
C. It eliminates bias
D. Some patients may be unfamiliar or uncomfortable with Western medical systems
D. Some patients may be unfamiliar or uncomfortable with Western medical systems
Trust supports openness and engagement.
When working with an interpreter, providers should:
A. Speak to the interpreter only
B. Use technical jargon
C. Use simple language and avoid idioms
D. Rush the encounter
C. Use simple language and avoid idioms
Clear language improves interpretation accuracy.
Cultural information becomes harmful when it is used to:
A. Guide patient interviews
B. Explore illness meaning
C. Support communication
D. Replace individual patient assessment
D. Replace individual patient assessment
Cultural knowledge should supplement, not replace, patient-specific evaluation.
The explanatory model emphasizes understanding:
A. The provider’s interpretation only
B. Biomedical diagnosis alone
C. Group-based cultural traits
D. The patient’s beliefs about cause, meaning, and treatment
D. The patient’s beliefs about cause, meaning, and treatment
This approach centers the patient’s perspective.
The “Negotiate” step emphasizes:
A. Provider authority
B. Cultural conformity
C. Biomedical dominance
D. Reaching agreement on a final course of action
D. Reaching agreement on a final course of action
Negotiation ensures patient-centered, collaborative care.
Which RESPECT element focuses on connecting socially and avoiding assumptions?
A. Rapport
B. Empathy
C. Trust
D. Cultural Competence
A. Rapport
Rapport builds connection and suspends judgment.
The use of trained interpreters generally results in:
A. Lower quality communication
B. Increased confusion
C. Longer recovery times
D. Improved patient understanding and quality of care
D. Improved patient understanding and quality of care
Interpreter use improves safety, accuracy, and outcomes.