Medical Term Glossary- Interview/Communication

Question 1

Ad hoc interpreter

Answer 1

using a patient’s family member, friend, or child as interpreter for a patient with limited English proficiency (LEP)

Question 2

Animism

Answer 2

imagining that inanimate objects (e.g., a blood pressure cuff) come alive and have human characteristics

Question 3

Avoidance language

Answer 3

the use of euphemisms to avoid reality or to hide feelings

Question 4

Clarification

Answer 4

examiner;s response used when the patient’s word choice is ambiguous or confusing

Question 5

Closed questions

Answer 5

questions that ask for specific information and elicit a short, one or two word answer, a “yes” or “no”, or a forced choice

Question 6

Confrontation

Answer 6

response in which examiner gives honest feedback about what he or she has seen or felt after observing a certain patient action, feeling, or statement

Question 7

Distancing

Answer 7

the use of impersonal speech to put space between one’s self and a threat

Question 8

Elderspeak

Answer 8

infantilizing and demeaning language used by a health professional when speaking to an older adult

Question 9

Electronic health recording

Answer 9

direct computer entry of a patient’s health record while in the patient’s presence

Question 10

Empathy

Answer 10

viewing the world from the other person’s inner frame of reference while remaining yourself; recognizing and accepting the other person’s feelings without criticism

Question 11

Ethnocentrism

Answer 11

the tendency to view your own way of life as the most desirable, acceptable, or best and to act in a superior manner to another culture’s way of life

Question 12

Explanation

Answer 12

examiner’s statements that inform the patient; examiner shares factual and objective information

Question 13

Facilitation

Answer 13

examiner’s response that encourages the patient to say more, to continue with the story

Question 14

Geographic privacy

Answer 14

private room or space with only the examiner and patient present

Question 15

Interpretation

Answer 15

examiner’s statement that is not based on direct observation, but is based on examiner’s inference or conclusion; links events, makes associations, or implies cause

Question 16

Interview

Answer 16

meeting between the examiner and patient with the goal of gathering a complete health history

Question 17

Jargon

Answer 17

medical vocabulary used with a patient in an exclusionary and paternalistic way

Question 18

Leading question

Answer 18

a question that implies that one answer would be better than another

Question 19

Nonverbal communication

Answer 19

message conveyed through body language– posture, gestures, facial expression, eye contact, touch, and even where one places the chairs

Question 20

Open-ended question

Answer 20

asks for longer narrative information; unbiased; leaves the person free to answer in any way

Question 21

Reflection

Answer 21

examiner response that echoes the patient’s words; repeats part of what the patient has just said

Question 22

Summary

Answer 22

final review of what examiner understands patient has said; condenses facts and presents a survey of how the examiner perceives the health problem or need

Question 23

Telegraphic speech

Answer 23

speech used by age 3 or 4 years in which three or four-word sentences contain only the essential words

Question 24

Verbal communication

Answer 24

messages sent through spoken words, vocalizations, or tone of voice