8-8
THE ART OF ASKING QUESTIONS
Sometimes a sick person will tell you what he thinks you want to hear, in hopes
that you will treat him better if you are pleased with his answers.
Help students to be aware of this problem. Try to make sure that they ask
questions carefully and get correct answers. They may have to ask about the same
thing more than once. But have them take care not to insult the sick person by
seeming to doubt his answers.
Usually it is a good idea to avoid asking questions that lead the person to answer
in a certain way. For example, look at these questions and answers:
A leading question . . .
A more open question . . .
. . . supplies the answer you expect.
. . . gets a truer answer.
In either case, the health worker will need to ask more questions in order to
understand how and when the problem began.
A more open question is not always better. Often a sick person will be afraid
to admit that he has signs of a disease such as tuberculosis or leprosy. These
diseases are especially feared because many people still believe that they cannot
be cured. In a case like this, a leading question will sometimes get a more
revealing answer.
A more open question . . .
A leading quesion . . .
. . . got a misleading answer
because of the person’s fear.
. . . got him to admit
the truth.
Classroom role plays can help students practice asking appropriate questions—
in a way that does not offend.