Question

A medical assistant receives a telephone call from a patient who seems anxious about the results of his test. Which of the following responses should the assistant make?

1) Assure the patient that the results will be fine
2) Tell the patient that the results are not yet available
3) Offer to schedule a follow-up appointment to discuss the results
4) Ignore the patient's concerns and end the call

Answer 1

The medical assistant should offer to schedule a follow-up appointment to discuss the test results, ensuring the patient that their concerns will be addressed professionally.

Step-by-step explanation:

When a patient calls anxious about their test results, the medical assistant should not assure the patient that the results will be fine without knowing the actual results, as this could be misleading. It is also not appropriate to ignore the patient's concerns and end the call, as this is unprofessional.

The correct response would be to offer to schedule a follow-up appointment to discuss the results. This allows the patient to have dedicated time to speak with the healthcare provider about their condition and test outcomes. The medical assistant should provide reassurance that their concerns will be addressed in a timely manner during this appointment.