Stark and persistent health disparities exist in maternal and infant health outcomes, representing a critical public health challenge. These differences are not random but are driven by systemic factors and Social Determinants of Health, a “transcending concept” explored in the Patient Care 5 curriculum. Pharmacists have a professional and ethical responsibility to promote health equity by providing culturally competent care, addressing patient barriers, and advocating for vulnerable populations. This quiz will test your understanding of the causes of these disparities and the role of healthcare providers in mitigating them.
1. A “health disparity” is best defined as:
- a. Any difference in health between two individuals.
- b. A health difference that is closely linked with social, economic, or environmental disadvantage.
- c. A patient’s preference for a particular treatment.
- d. A difference in health caused solely by genetic factors.
Answer: b. A health difference that is closely linked with social, economic, or environmental disadvantage.
2. In the United States, which racial/ethnic groups experience disproportionately high rates of maternal mortality?
- a. White and Asian women
- b. Black and Native American women
- c. Hispanic women only
- d. All groups experience the same rates.
Answer: b. Black and Native American women
3. The concept of “health equity” means:
- a. Everyone receives the exact same healthcare resources.
- b. Everyone has a fair and just opportunity to attain their highest level of health.
- c. Health outcomes are identical for all people.
- d. Only certain groups receive preventative care.
Answer: b. Everyone has a fair and just opportunity to attain their highest level of health.
4. A pregnant patient lives in a “maternity care desert.” This refers to which Social Determinant of Health?
- a. Economic Stability
- b. Education Access and Quality
- c. Health Care Access and Quality (specifically, geographic access)
- d. Social and Community Context
Answer: c. Health Care Access and Quality (specifically, geographic access)
5. A pharmacist providing care with an awareness of and respect for a patient’s cultural beliefs and practices is demonstrating:
- a. Clinical inertia
- b. Cultural competency
- c. A legal requirement only
- d. Empathy only
Answer: b. Cultural competency
6. The lecture “Health Disparities” is a specific topic in which course?
- a. PHA5787C Patient Care 5
- b. PHA5104 Sterile Compounding
- c. PHA5703 Pharmacy Law and Ethics
- d. PHA5784C Patient Care 4
Answer: a. PHA5787C Patient Care 5
7. Implicit bias in healthcare can lead to:
- a. More equitable treatment for all patients.
- b. Unconscious assumptions and stereotypes that negatively affect patient care and communication.
- c. Better clinical outcomes for minority patients.
- d. A stronger provider-patient relationship.
Answer: b. Unconscious assumptions and stereotypes that negatively affect patient care and communication.
8. Which of the following is a key driver of health disparities in pregnancy outcomes?
- a. The patient’s hair color.
- b. The time of day of appointments.
- c. Chronic stress due to systemic racism and discrimination.
- d. The patient’s preference for a hospital gown.
Answer: c. Chronic stress due to systemic racism and discrimination.
9. A pharmacist can help address health disparities in pregnancy by:
- a. Ensuring all pregnant patients are counseled on the importance of folic acid.
- b. Screening for social needs like food insecurity or transportation barriers.
- c. Providing care in a non-judgmental and respectful manner.
- d. All of the above.
Answer: d. All of the above.
10. What is a key reason for disparities in breastfeeding initiation and duration?
- a. Lack of paid maternity leave, which disproportionately affects low-income women.
- b. Hospital policies that do not support breastfeeding.
- c. A lack of culturally competent lactation support.
- d. All of the above.
Answer: d. All of the above.
11. The management of women’s health is a topic within the Patient Care 5 curriculum.
- a. True
- b. False
Answer: a. True
12. The concept of “weathering” suggests that the health of minority women may deteriorate faster than white women due to:
- a. Genetic factors only.
- b. The cumulative impact of chronic stress and social disadvantage.
- c. Poor personal choices only.
- d. A lack of motivation.
Answer: b. The cumulative impact of chronic stress and social disadvantage.
13. Demonstrating empathy and cultural competency is a key professional attribute.
- a. True
- b. False
Answer: a. True
14. A pharmacist connecting a pregnant patient to the WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) program is addressing which SDOH?
- a. Health Care Access
- b. Neighborhood and Built Environment
- c. Economic Stability and Food Security
- d. Social Context
Answer: c. Economic Stability and Food Security
15. To provide equitable care, a pharmacist should:
- a. Treat everyone exactly the same, regardless of their individual needs or barriers.
- b. Acknowledge that different patients may need different levels of support to achieve the same health outcome.
- c. Only provide care to patients who look like them.
- d. Assume all patients have high health literacy.
Answer: b. Acknowledge that different patients may need different levels of support to achieve the same health outcome.
16. The “Social Determinants of Health: Diabetes Mellitus” is a lecture within the Patient Care 5 curriculum.
- a. True
- b. False
Answer: a. True
17. Low health literacy is a significant barrier that can prevent a pregnant patient from:
- a. Understanding the importance of prenatal care.
- b. Adhering to a prenatal vitamin regimen.
- c. Recognizing warning signs of complications like preeclampsia.
- d. All of the above.
Answer: d. All of the above.
18. Which of the following is NOT one of the five key domains of Social Determinants of Health?
- a. Economic Stability
- b. Clinical Lab Values
- c. Education Access and Quality
- d. Social and Community Context
Answer: b. Clinical Lab Values
19. A pharmacist’s role in promoting public health includes advocating for policies that reduce health disparities.
- a. True
- b. False
Answer: a. True
20. An active learning session on SDOH and health disparities is part of the Patient Care 5 course.
- a. True
- b. False
Answer: a. True
21. A key strategy to reduce health disparities in maternal health is:
- a. Focusing only on treatment, not prevention.
- b. Increasing the diversity of the healthcare workforce.
- c. Using more medical jargon.
- d. Limiting access to prenatal care.
Answer: b. Increasing the diversity of the healthcare workforce.
22. A patient’s zip code can be a stronger predictor of their health outcomes than their genetic code. This statement reflects the importance of:
- a. Pharmacogenomics
- b. Social Determinants of Health
- c. A patient’s personal choices
- d. The specific hospital they visit
Answer: b. Social Determinants of Health
23. “Cultural humility” differs from “cultural competency” in that it emphasizes:
- a. Becoming an expert in every culture.
- b. A lifelong process of self-reflection and learning, and acknowledging one’s own biases.
- c. A checklist of cultural traits.
- d. Treating every patient from a specific culture exactly the same.
Answer: b. A lifelong process of self-reflection and learning, and acknowledging one’s own biases.
24. An active learning session on women’s health is part of which course?
- a. PHA5787C Patient Care 5
- b. PHA5163L Professional Skills Lab 3
- c. PHA5781 Patient Care I
- d. PHA5782C Patient Care 2
Answer: a. PHA5787C Patient Care 5
25. A pharmacist using a qualified medical interpreter to communicate with a pregnant patient who has limited English proficiency is an example of:
- a. A HIPAA violation.
- b. Providing culturally and linguistically appropriate care.
- c. Wasting time.
- d. An unnecessary expense.
Answer: b. Providing culturally and linguistically appropriate care.
26. Lack of access to reliable transportation can be a major barrier to consistent:
- a. Prenatal care.
- b. Medication access.
- c. Access to healthy food.
- d. All of the above.
Answer: d. All of the above.
27. To reduce disparities, a pharmacist should:
- a. Assume all patients have the same level of understanding.
- b. Use the teach-back method to confirm patient understanding.
- c. Avoid asking about sensitive topics like cost.
- d. Provide all patients with the same pamphlet.
Answer: b. Use the teach-back method to confirm patient understanding.
28. An active learning session on health disparities is part of which course module?
- a. Module 1: Diabetes Mellitus
- b. Module 3: Women’s Health
- c. Module 4: Medication Safety
- d. Module 8: Men’s Health
Answer: a. Module 1: Diabetes Mellitus
29. The concept of “structural racism” contributes to health disparities by:
- a. Creating policies and practices that systematically disadvantage certain racial groups.
- b. Affecting access to quality education, housing, and healthcare.
- c. Creating a foundation for interpersonal discrimination and implicit bias.
- d. All of the above.
Answer: d. All of the above.
30. The “Female Reproduction and Pregnancy” lecture is within the Patient Care 5 curriculum.
- a. True
- b. False
Answer: a. True
31. Which of the following can help mitigate disparities in lactation support?
- a. Providing access to culturally congruent lactation consultants and peer support groups.
- b. Ensuring hospital policies like rooming-in and skin-to-skin contact are universally applied.
- c. Both a and b.
- d. Neither a nor b.
Answer: c. Both a and b.
32. A pharmacist identifies that a pregnant patient cannot afford their prenatal vitamins. An appropriate action is to:
- a. Tell the patient they are not important.
- b. Suggest a lower-cost OTC alternative and/or provide information on programs like WIC.
- c. Do nothing.
- d. Give the patient a sample of a brand-name vitamin.
Answer: b. Suggest a lower-cost OTC alternative and/or provide information on programs like WIC.
33. The experience of racism itself is considered a risk factor for poor pregnancy outcomes like preterm birth.
- a. True
- b. False
Answer: a. True
34. The pharmacist’s role in promoting health equity starts with:
- a. Understanding their own implicit biases.
- b. Treating every patient with dignity and respect.
- c. Recognizing the impact of SDOH on their patient population.
- d. All of the above.
Answer: d. All of the above.
35. A “food swamp” is an area with:
- a. No food retailers.
- b. An overabundance of unhealthy food options (e.g., fast food) compared to healthy options.
- c. Only organic grocery stores.
- d. A high water table.
Answer: b. An overabundance of unhealthy food options (e.g., fast food) compared to healthy options.
36. A key part of providing equitable care is:
- a. Making assumptions based on a patient’s appearance.
- b. Asking open-ended, respectful questions to understand a patient’s unique circumstances.
- c. Using the same care plan for every patient.
- d. Focusing only on the prescription being filled.
Answer: b. Asking open-ended, respectful questions to understand a patient’s unique circumstances.
37. Which of the following is NOT a strategy to reduce health disparities?
- a. Increasing health insurance coverage.
- b. Ignoring cultural differences.
- c. Implementing implicit bias training for healthcare providers.
- d. Improving access to preventative care.
Answer: b. Ignoring cultural differences.
38. The lecture on Health Disparities is part of which course?
- a. PHA5787C Patient Care 5
- b. PHA5163L Professional Skills Lab 3
- c. PHA5781 Patient Care I
- d. PHA5782C Patient Care 2
Answer: a. PHA5787C Patient Care 5
39. Poor housing conditions (e.g., mold, lead) fall under which SDOH domain?
- a. Social and Community Context
- b. Health Care Access and Quality
- c. Neighborhood and Built Environment
- d. Economic Stability
Answer: c. Neighborhood and Built Environment
40. An active learning session covering health disparities is part of which course?
- a. PHA5787C Patient Care 5
- b. PHA5163L Professional Skills Lab 3
- c. PHA5781 Patient Care I
- d. PHA5782C Patient Care 2
Answer: a. PHA5787C Patient Care 5
41. A patient’s language is a key component of:
- a. Their socioeconomic status.
- b. Their cultural identity and a potential barrier to care if not addressed.
- c. Their intelligence.
- d. Their willingness to be adherent.
Answer: b. Their cultural identity and a potential barrier to care if not addressed.
42. Which of the following is an example of an institutional-level intervention to reduce disparities?
- a. A single pharmacist being nice to a patient.
- b. A hospital ensuring that interpreter services are readily available 24/7.
- c. A patient buying a cheaper medication.
- d. A doctor working an extra hour.
Answer: b. A hospital ensuring that interpreter services are readily available 24/7.
43. A pharmacist advocating for their hospital to stock culturally appropriate foods for postpartum mothers is addressing an SDOH.
- a. True
- b. False
Answer: a. True
44. The link between diabetes and SDOH is covered in the curriculum.
- a. True
- b. False
Answer: a. True
45. Addressing health disparities requires:
- a. A focus on individual behavior change only.
- b. A focus on changing healthcare systems and policies only.
- c. A multi-level approach that addresses individual, community, and systemic factors.
- d. The work of physicians only.
Answer: c. A multi-level approach that addresses individual, community, and systemic factors.
46. A pregnant patient who lacks social support may have:
- a. Higher stress levels.
- b. More difficulty attending appointments.
- c. A higher risk for postpartum depression.
- d. All of the above.
Answer: d. All of the above.
47. A pharmacist who assumes a patient cannot afford a medication based on their appearance is exhibiting:
- a. Good clinical judgment
- b. Empathy
- c. Implicit bias
- d. Cultural competency
Answer: c. Implicit bias
48. An active learning session on social determinants of health is part of which course module?
- a. Module 1: Diabetes Mellitus
- b. Module 3: Women’s Health
- c. Module 4: Medication Safety
- d. Module 8: Men’s Health
Answer: a. Module 1: Diabetes Mellitus
49. The overall management of a patient’s health must consider the social context in which they live.
- a. True
- b. False
Answer: a. True
50. The ultimate goal of learning about health disparities in pregnancy and lactation is to:
- a. Be able to provide equitable, respectful, and effective care to all patients, thereby improving maternal and infant health outcomes.
- b. Memorize statistics about maternal mortality.
- c. Pass the final exam.
- d. Feel guilty about societal inequities.
Answer: a. Be able to provide equitable, respectful, and effective care to all patients, thereby improving maternal and infant health outcomes.