Reading

citation

a formal reference to a source, including information such as the author(s), the title, the date of publication, and the location where it was published

communication

a method of exchanging information

A ______________ is an in-text reference to a source of information. a. study b. citation c. bullet point d. medical journal

b. citation

If a paper is submitted to a journal without in-text references, it will be rejected due to _______________. a. editing b. citations c. grammar d. plagiarism

d. plagiarism

plagiarism

the act of using another person's writing or ideas without giving proper credit to the original creator

Healthcare workers must possess the following effective writing skills:

- Grammar and spelling: Using correct grammar and spelling helps avoid confusion in written communication. It also conveys a sense of the writer's level of education and knowledge. - Legibility: For handwritten reports, the writing must be easy to read to avoid misinterpretation. - Accuracy: Writing should be clear and concise, and provide measurements, observations, and references as appropriate. - Organization: Reports should be organized in a standard fashion that allows the reader to know where to find particular types of information.

Strategies that help healthcare professionals avoid plagiarism:

- Keep separate notepages for sourced and independent ideas. Color-coded cards or pens can help. - Document all sources clearly in notes. - Write down all the information necessary for a complete AMA citation. - Gather ideas from many sources so language or ideas from one source are less likely to be copied. - Always include citations that credit outside sources.

Certain skills that are used by effective readers include:

- Reading for comprehension:An effective reader can summarize the main idea of a text and identify supporting details. - Interpreting clues: Physicians often assess several different pieces of data in order to come up with a diagnosis. Synthesizing different pieces of information and drawing conclusions based on evidence are important skills necessary to do this job. - Following written material sequentially: Understanding a timeline, steps in a procedure, and patient medical history requires the ability to put things in order without skipping around. - Evaluating the quality: New medical research is constantly being published. One day a treatment is effective and the next day its use may not be recommended based on new research. A critical reader will be able to assess published medical research and understand its strengths and weaknesses.

The following strategies can improve written communication:

- Seeking out classes and workshops that teach AMA documentation skills - Using a computer to type documents, especially for a person with poor handwriting - Writing and revising multiple drafts of complex reports to properly develop and organize ideas - Identifying personal weaknesses and taking professional development courses to strengthen writing skills

Healthcare professionals should employ these strategies for better oral communication:

- ask politely for clarification if something is not understood - ask if there are any questions after explaining something to a patient or fellow healthcare professional - speak clearly, concisely, and with appropriate language

Unreliable sources for healthcare professionals include:

- many commercial websites (ending in .com, .biz, .info, and .net) - popular magazines and tabloids - social media - advertisements from companies selling medical products

Reliable sources for healthcare professionals include:

- peer-reviewed medical journals - many government. educational, and non-profit websites (ending in .gov, .edu, or .org) - medical textbooks

writing skills include:

- proper organization - accurate writing (provide measurements, observations, and references as appropriate)

Reading skills include:

- reading for comprehension - following items in sequence - interpreting multiple pieces of data

Essential reading skills for health care include:

- reading for comprehension - following written material sequentially - interpreting clues - evaluating the quality

Examples of reading skills in a healthcare setting include:

- reviewing a patient's medical chart - reading medical textbooks - understanding the label on a prescription drug or other chemical - reading reports from other healthcare workers

When editing a document, look for:

- spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors - confusing organization or lack of headings or bullet points - incorrect information - inappropriate length, either too wordy or not comprehensive enough - lack of supporting details or references

Examples of writing skills in the daily duties of a healthcare worker include:

- writing patient reports - writing speeches for formal presentations - writing prescriptions - writing instructions for home care

Which of the following are forms of communication that would be used in the healthcare workplace? Select all that apply. a. writing b. reading c. monitoring d. researching

a and b

Which of the following techniques would an effective reader use when reading a patient's medical history? Check all that apply. a. interpreting clues b. skimming the content c. reading for comprehension d. ignoring any vocabulary that is not understood

a and c - An effective reader can piece together a story about a patient by reading the medical history. When encountering new words or ideas, it is important to find out what they mean rather than skip over them. Putting all the details together is necessary to determine the main idea.

Which of the following examples demonstrates plagiarism? Select all that apply. a. Two different websites contain exactly the same paragraph about heart disease. b. A doctor publishes original ideas backed up by research that is referenced on the last page of the document. c. A group of medical students summarize information from a textbook in their own words and cites their sources. d. A group of medical students summarize information from a textbook in their own words and do not cite their sources.

a and d

Which of the following sources would you expect to have reliable medical information? Select all that apply. a. university website b. http://www.heart-disease-info-now.com c. advertisement in the back of a health magazine d. public health department of your state government

a and d - Remember that many Internet sources may appear to be reliable, but actually have incorrect or biased information. Never trust information from a company that is trying to sell a product, or from a website that is full of advertisements.

A nurse reads a patient's chart and does not understand the prescription. The nurse gives the patient two doses of medication every hour and causes the patient to become ill. The actual prescription calls for one dose of medication every two hours. What could the nurse have done differently to provide better patient care? a. Ask a clarifying question. b. Re-write the prescription. c. Give the patient no medication at all. d. Write a complaint about the doctor who wrote the prescription.

a. Ask a clarifying question.

How should a reference list be organized, according to AMA style? a. References are listed in the order they appear in the paper. b. References are alphabetical. c. References are organized by date. d. References are listed by order of most-used source to least-used source.

a. References are listed in the order they appear in the paper. - There are many different styles for documenting references. According to AMA, references must be listed in the same order that they appear in the paper.

A doctor's report includes personal feelings about the case and information that is not cited from reliable sources. What is the report lacking? a. accuracy b. legibility c. organization d. grammar and spelling

a. accuracy

At the end of the day, a doctor is hurrying to finish the shift. The doctor quickly reads a report from the nurse and misses important details that would diagnose the patient. What is a potential consequence of the doctor's behavior? a. misdiagnosing the patient b. providing faster, more effective care c. performing an extra test on the patient d. using information from a non-trusted source

a. misdiagnosing the patient - Patients deserve quality care at all times. Healthcare professionals must take the time to read and understand written documents to offer the best medical care.

Reading comprehension involves grasping the main ideas as well as the __________________. a. supporting details b. medical applications c. unnecessary information

a. supporting details

A doctor has sloppy handwriting. The nurses complain that they have trouble understanding the doctor's reports. What can the doctor do to improve the readability of written communications? a. type reports b. read written reports aloud c. scan reports and save them to a computer d. write in a different color ink

a. type reports

American Medical Association (AMA)

an organization that promotes public health by helping healthcare professionals do their jobs better

A nurse writes a patient handout about using sunscreen. The handout is five pages long and single-spaced. What could the nurse do to improve the handout and make it more accessible to the audience? Check all that apply. a. use more technical language b. include headers and bullet points c. make the handout more concise d. publish the handout in a professional medical journal

b and c

What could a doctor do to increase the chances that the directions given to another healthcare professional are understood correctly? Check all that apply a. speak loudly b. speak clearly c. ask if the other person understands you d. skip the details and just give the main ideas

b and c

Which of the following qualities are demonstrated in a well-written document? Check all that apply. a. length b. organization c. correct grammar d. use of pictures

b and c

Some nurses receive feedback from their supervisor that their written reports often contain errors or lack organization. What should the nurses do in this situation? a. look for new jobs b. edit their reports before filing them c. take training classes focused on improving report writing in health care d. keep filing inaccurate reports until they learn how to create proper reports

b and c - Critical feedback can be used by a healthcare employee to improve writing skills. It is important not to wait until a medical error happens before taking this feedback seriously.

Which of the following tasks might rely on a physician's reading skills? Select all that apply. a. writing a patient report b. interpreting test results c. presenting to a committee d. understanding an article in a medical journal

b and d

What are some possible outcomes of submitting a document without editing it first? Select all that apply. a. missing a deadline b. lack of organization c. incorrect information d. grammar and spelling mistakes

b, c, and d - Editing a document before submitting it or passing it to another healthcare worker is essential so that information is communicated accurately and clearly.

What is the relationship between the American Medical Association (AMA) and medical documentation? a. The AMA reviews all medical documents before publication. b. The AMA publishes standards that explain how to credit sources. c. The AMA requires only non-medical personnel to cite sources.

b. The AMA publishes standards that explain how to credit sources.

A doctor complains that the X-ray technician's report is missing critical pieces of information. What does the technician need to improve? a. legibility b. accuracy c. organization d. grammar and spelling

b. accuracy - Accuracy is an important skills for effective writing. An inaccurate report could contribute to poor patient care.

The ability to _________ a research paper is necessary to understand its strengths and weaknesses. a. write b. evaluate c. translate d. read aloud

b. evaluate

Documentation is necessary in order to _______________. a. make the research paper longer b. give credibility to the information c. make the writer look well educated

b. give credibility to the information

A physician skims a lab report and does not notice that follow-up testing was recommended by the technician. What skill could have helped the physician avoid this mistake? a. looking for the main idea b. reading for supporting details c. evaluating the reliability of sources d. looking for grammar and spelling mistakes

b. reading for supporting details

In which situation would the ability to understand items sequentially be important? a. delivering a prescription b. reviewing a patient's medical history c. reading a health article in the newspaper d. understanding a complex medical condition

b. reviewing a patient's medical history

Which of the following strategies can improve poor writing skills? a. writing faster b. writing less often c. writing multiple drafts d. taking professional development courses

c and d

Plagiarism includes any material that is copied without: a. checking the spelling. b. paying the original author. c. giving credit to the original author. d. changing a few words of the original text.

c. giving credit to the original author.

A doctor is editing a research paper and discovers that several citations were not included. What mistake did the doctor catch in the paper? a. poor spelling b. lack of organization c. missing documentation d. inappropriate punctuation

c. missing documentation

A busy nurse gives instructions for patient care to other nurses in a hurried manner. The nurses did not quite understand what the nurse said. What should the nurses do? a. ask another worker for advice b. make a best guess about how to treat the patient c. stop the nurse to ask some clarifying questions d. pretend that they did not hear the instructions and go about their business

c. stop the nurse to ask some clarifying questions

What advantage do electronic records have over paper records? a. It eliminates all possibility of error b. It is simpler and easier to use, with no training required. c. It does not require the user to have effective reading skills. d. It allows healthcare professionals to quickly communicate information with each other.

d. It allows healthcare professionals to quickly communicate information with each other. - Electronic recordkeeping may be the preferred method of communication in the future. While it may make communication faster and easier, it still requires effective reading and writing skills to be useful.

editing

the process of correcting errors in an initial draft of a document