Question 1

Which of the following items is most appropriate for a meeting agenda?&#10;A) Brainstorm to decrease patient cancellations&#10;B) Report on recruitment efforts&#10;C) Requests for vacation leave&#10;D) Manager update on executive decisions

Accepted Answer

It is best to use meeting time for planning and discussions rather than matters that might be conveyed in memos or emails. A discussion of how vacation leave is determined is appropriate. Having a group put in requests at a meeting is not.

Question 2

Which of the following is MOST important to developing listening skills?&#10;A) Focus on the delivery of the message&#10;B) Attend to distractions to the message&#10;C) Form a preliminary opinion of the message&#10;D) Mentally summarize the message

Accepted Answer

Mentally summarizing or taking notes to clarify the message is an important hint. The other options (delivery, distractions, jumping to conclusions) distract from listening.

Question 3

What is a characteristic of root cause analysis?&#10;A) Personal opinions are important to determining the cause&#10;B) The cause is narrowed down to a single person&#10;C) System flaws are the focus of possible causes&#10;D) Alternative causes are easily eliminated

Accepted Answer

The value of root cause analysis is to view problems as systemic rather than the result of individual personal failures. It is driven by facts and evidence rather than opinions and alternative causes are typically presented because of the multifactorial complexity of healthcare.

Question 4

Which of the following communication characteristics is most important to achieving a healthcare organization's goals?&#10;A) Managers focus on formal communication&#10;B) Filter out the negative and amplify the positive&#10;C) Open, trusting communication&#10;D) Punitive measures to decrease complaints

Accepted Answer

Managers spend as much time on informal communications as they do on formal communications to gather data about the day-to-day operations. Managers should seek out complaints, concerns, and disagreements in order to improve operations. Their role should be more consultative than punitive. An open, trusting environment promotes messages received as intended and decreases suspicions.

Question 5

How should the communication responsibility of healthcare managers be described?&#10;A) Transfer information without filters&#10;B) Minimize misunderstandings&#10;C) Use &#34;put it in writing&#34; at every opportunity&#10;D) Value formal over informal communications

Accepted Answer

Because of the complexity of communication in healthcare organizations, managers have the responsibility to use written and oral communication to reduce misunderstandings. They are responsible for filtering messages both to subordinates and superiors and for determining when to document oral communications. They must understand the vital importance of informal communication in an organization.

Question 6

A manager should schedule and document a formal meeting with an employee for which of the following reasons?&#10;A) Consistently meeting productivity goals&#10;B) Identifying an improvement in scheduling&#10;C) Complaints about a co-worker&#10;D) Return from extended sick leave

Accepted Answer

Meeting goals is a minimal expectation that would not require action. Unless complaints about co-workers involved patient safety, a manager may not choose to referee differences between employees. Return after an extended leave would likely be an informal meeting. Identifying an improvement in scheduling seems to be something above and beyond the call of duty that should be documented and personally noted. Formal meetings for praise as well as reprimand should occur.

Question 7

Which of the following actions is most likely to enhance a presentation?&#10;A) Variety in format of each slide&#10;B) A picture on every slide&#10;C) Fit the time to the amount of content&#10;D) Use slides to make quick points

Accepted Answer

There should be consistency in the look of each slide, avoid clutter and distractors. Pictures should reinforce not substitute for content. Presentation should be no more than 20-25 minutes to hold the audience's attention. Slides should make quick points rather than be filled with too much information.

Deck 12: Communication Responsibilities