Deck 18: Becoming an Informed Health Care Consumer

Question 1

Pharmacists are required to give you a ____________ with each prescription medication you buy.

A) childproof safety cap
B) disclaimer or liability
C) patient information sheet
D) substance abuse hotline number

Answer 1

patient information sheet

Question 2

Which of the following is MOST likely to provide accurate and unbiased health information?

A) a medical practitioner
B) a magazine
C) a pharmaceutical company
D) a friend who has had personal experience

Answer 2

a medical practitioner

Question 3

The most common weakness of health related infomercials on television is that the

A) validity is questionable.
B) information is dangerous.
C) delivery is too boring.
D) message is inaccurate.

Answer 3

validity is questionable.

Question 4

You see an infomercial for a topical acne medicine that is supposed to be very effective. The claims about the product sound plausible, the way it works is clearly explained, and the promoters are doctors. Which of the following is the MOST practical reason you should pause before sending your money?

A) The price is probably higher than it should be.
B) You will expose yourself to additional sales pitches.
C) You have no independent evidence that the product works.
D) Infomercials always exaggerate the strength of their products.

Question 5

When you go to a doctor, certain routine exams, such as blood pressure and pulse monitoring, serve as a screening function. This most clearly illustrates

A) educational care.
B) acute care.
C) therapeutic care.
D) preventative care.

Question 6

A doctor of osteopathy (DO) is considered a(n)

A) surgeon.
B) primary care provider.
C) alternative practitioner.
D) allied health care professional.

Question 7

The main differences between an MD and a DO is the

A) DO is unable to prescribe drugs.
B) MD receives more training.
C) MD is not a specialist, while the DO is.
D) DO will have a greater tendency to use manipulation in treating health problems.

Question 8

Chiropractors, acupuncturists, and homeopaths are best considered ___________ health care practitioners.

A) complementary
B) under-trained
C) dangerous
D) primary

Question 9

The primary method chiropractors use to treat illness is through

A) enemas.
B) massage therapy.
C) homeopathic remedies.
D) manipulating the spinal column.

Question 10

The medical community's acceptance of chiropractic care as a useful type of complementary care is demonstrated through

A) the current trend to include chiropractic physicians within medical groups.
B) the rigor of its training.
C) its basic view of patients.
D) the admissions standards of its training institutions.

Question 11

The theory that underlies acupuncture is that the treatment

A) frightens away bad spirits.
B) helps balance active and passive life forces.
C) forces the brain to reinterpret pain messages.
D) changes the flow of blood in the area of the needle.

Question 12

Research on the medical effectiveness of acupuncture indicates that

A) its effects are merely psychological.
B) it has value as an anesthetic and an antidote to chronic pain.
C) patients can become psychologically dependent on the treatments.
D) it is an effective treatment for a variety of ailments including low back pain.

Question 13

Why don't we know conclusively whether therapeutic touch is useful?

A) It is illegal in many states.
B) It is very hard to collect data and assess the results.
C) Practitioners are guarded in what they will reveal to investigators.
D) It is championed by nurses, and doctors tend to take a dismissive attitude in such cases.

Question 14

Homeopathic remedies are based on

A) using tiny quantities of herbs and/or minerals to stimulate cures.
B) purging the system of unclean substances.
C) traditional herbal medicine.
D) massage therapy.

Question 15

An alternative medical approach that stresses mind/body balance, proper diet, stress reduction, and reliance on the body's own immune system to heal is called

A) homeopathy.
B) naturopathy.
C) chiropractic.
D) spiritualism.

Question 16

In response to the fact that many people are attracted to alternative practitioners, the National Institutes of Health began to

A) subject these practices to scientific inquiry.
B) warn physicians against the most common alternative practices.
C) criticize alternative practices in nationwide public service announcements.
D) mount a public relations campaign to promote conventional medical practice.

Question 17

What percentage of all college students are estimated to be disabled?

A) 6 to 10
B) 11 to 15
C) 16 to 20
D) less than 5

Question 18

All of the following are suggestions to help you become more of a skilled and assertive consumer EXCEPT to

A) prepare yourself for consumerism.
B) choose the first product or service you come across.
C) insist on formal contracts.
D) obtain written instructions and warranties.

Question 19

The purpose of a Medigap insurance policy is to

A) assist people in covering the out-of-pocket expenses associated with Medicare Parts A and B.
B) provide new prescription coverage options for Medicare recipients.
C) provide health coverage for persons 65 years of age and older.
D) provide health care for persons of any age who have particular disabilities or permanent kidney failure.

Question 20

Which health care profession uses specific remedies to produce effects different from those produced by a disease or injury?

A) osteopathy
B) chiropractic
C) allopathy
D) acupuncture

Question 21

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of ayurvedic medicine?

A) elimination of impurities
B) reduction of symptoms
C) elimination of existing physical and psychological discomfort
D) balancing the active and passive forces within the body

Question 22

Training for which health care professional is gradually being phased out?

A) chiropractor
B) Doctor of Osteopathy
C) licensed practical nurses
D) advanced practice nurses

Question 23

Ellen has completed her four-year nursing degree and passed her state-licensing exam to become a registered nurse. How can she become certified as an advanced practice nurse? She

A) must specialize in a clinical area and become certified.
B) must complete two years of medical school.
C) must obtain a doctoral degree in nursing.
D) can become one immediately.

Question 24

There are currently four fields that a Registered Nurse hoping to become certified as an Advanced Practical Nurse can specialize in. They include all of the following EXCEPT

A) pediatrics
B) gerontology
C) public health
D) allopathy

Question 25

Kim is a high school graduate who wants to pursue a career as an allied-health professional. All of the following will most likely be required, regardless of the field she chooses, EXCEPT

A) a training program based in a hospital instead of a school.
B) a licensing examination.
C) one to five years of post-secondary school study.
D) a medical degree.

Question 26

One of the most common trends in American hospitals in recent years is

A) changing to pull public ownership.
B) hospitalizing patients for a longer period of time.
C) offering various community health and wellness programs.
D) cutting charges to compete with other medical facilities.

Question 27

The main difference between traditional health insurance and managed care is that

A) with managed care, choice of providers is limited but out-of-pocket costs are lower.
B) traditional insurance covers far more American workers than managed care does.
C) managed care places less emphasis on preventive treatment.
D) traditional insurance tends to be more cost-effective.

Question 28

In recent years, HMOs in the United States have attracted the most public ire for their

A) cost containment efforts.
B) practitioner assessment.
C) failure to make a profit.
D) limited offerings.

Question 29

What is Medicare? It is

A) health insurance for elderly people at any income level or for poor people who cannot afford other insurance.
B) federal health insurance that is free for elderly people and $50.00 per month for others.
C) a free health insurance program for elderly people.
D) health insurance for the elderly that is funded from federal payroll taxes.

Question 30

In the United States, approximately ______ new drugs are approved annually.

A) 10 to 15
B) 16 to 20
C) 21 to 25
D) 26 to 30

Question 31

A resident physician is one who has completed at least five years of private practice and passed a board certification text.

Question 32

Chiropractic is the third largest health profession in the United States.

Question 33

There is no scientific evidence for the effectiveness of acupuncture.

Question 34

Excluding prayer, herbal medicine is the most popular form of complementary and alternative medicine used in the America.

Question 35

It is best to tell your primary care physician if you are seeing an alternative practitioner.

Question 36

There is currently a shortage of physicians in the United States.

Question 37

The Americans with Disabilities Act suggests that preferential treatment be given to students with disabilities.

Question 38

Advanced practice nurses have the same qualifications as family practice physicians.

Question 39

Self-care is not compatible with being under the care of a physician.

Question 40

Publicly owned hospitals are maintained as nonprofit public institutions.

Question 41

Medicare and Medicaid cover some home health care costs.

Question 42

The best way to enjoy good health in your later years is to establish a healthy lifestyle while young.

Question 43

Public hospitals are the most common type of hospital in the United States.

Question 44

Drop-in urgent care clinics compete directly with large hospital-based facilities.

Question 45

Hospital patients have a right to be told who is providing their care.

Question 46

Recent studies suggest that 50 percent of Internet users search the Web for health-related information.

Question 47

If you are hired as a full-time employee by a company that offers a group health insurance plan to its full-time employees, you must be allowed to join the plan.

Question 48

Health maintenance organizations generally have the highest out-of-pocket costs for patients.

Question 49

A preferred provider organization is a group of private practitioners who sell their services at reduced rates to insurance companies.

Question 50

The federal government regulates both prescription drugs and over-the-counter drugs.

Question 51

Generic drugs are cheaper than name-brand drugs because they are typically manufactured with less rigorous government oversight.

Question 52

The FDA permits drug companies to create an over-the-counter drug by reducing the strength of a prescription drug.

Question 53

List some reliable and unreliable sources of health information and explain why.

Question 54

List the main reasons for going to a doctor.

Question 55

Offer some possible reasons why people seek medical services from alternative practitioners.

Question 56

List the benefits of the self-care movement.

Question 57

Why are generic drugs usually cheaper than brand-name drugs?