Health communication expert Dr. Jennifer Chang has theorized that patients experience superior medical care when healthcare information is provided vi...
GMAT Information and Ideas : (Ideas) Questions
Health communication expert Dr. Jennifer Chang has theorized that patients experience superior medical care when healthcare information is provided via cooperative consultations featuring multiple medical professionals working in tandem, as opposed to standard individual physician appointments or confrontational second-opinion situations where medical practitioners dispute one another's diagnostic conclusions. Chang contends that cooperative consultation methods facilitate comprehensive data exchange and minimize the risk of missing critical elements, whereas confrontational approaches may generate defensive behaviors that obstruct complete assessment. To evaluate this theory, investigators arranged for patients presenting with complicated medical conditions to undergo treatment using one of three methodologies: conventional single-physician consultations, confrontational consultations featuring two physicians arguing opposing diagnostic positions, or cooperative multidisciplinary consultations with several specialists collaborating as a unified team.
Which research outcome, if accurate, would provide the strongest evidence in favor of Chang's theory?
Patients receiving confrontational consultations demonstrated higher levels of physician trust compared to those receiving cooperative multidisciplinary consultations, on average.
Patients who underwent cooperative multidisciplinary consultations experienced reduced medical complications during the subsequent six-month period compared to those who received single-physician or confrontational consultations, on average.
Patients participating in single-physician consultations required shorter appointment durations than those in cooperative multidisciplinary consultations, on average.
Patients receiving cooperative multidisciplinary consultations reported greater satisfaction with their healthcare experience than those receiving single-physician consultations, on average.
Step 1: Decode and Map the Passage
Part A: Create Passage Analysis Table
| Text from Passage | Analysis |
|---|---|
| "Health communication expert Dr. Jennifer Chang has theorized that patients experience superior medical care when healthcare information is provided via cooperative consultations featuring multiple medical professionals working in tandem," |
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| "as opposed to standard individual physician appointments or confrontational second-opinion situations where medical practitioners dispute one another's diagnostic conclusions." |
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| "Chang contends that cooperative consultation methods facilitate comprehensive data exchange and minimize the risk of missing critical elements," |
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| "whereas confrontational approaches may generate defensive behaviors that obstruct complete assessment." |
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| "To evaluate this theory, investigators arranged for patients presenting with complicated medical conditions to undergo treatment using one of three methodologies:" |
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| "conventional single-physician consultations, confrontational consultations featuring two physicians arguing opposing diagnostic positions, or cooperative multidisciplinary consultations with several specialists collaborating as a unified team." |
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Part B: Provide Passage Architecture & Core Elements
Main Point: Dr. Chang theorizes that cooperative consultations involving multiple medical professionals working together provide superior patient care compared to individual physician appointments or confrontational consultations.
Argument Flow: The passage presents Chang's theory favoring cooperative medical consultations, explains her reasoning (better information sharing vs. defensive behaviors), then describes a research study designed to test this theory using three different consultation approaches.
Step 2: Interpret the Question Precisely
This is a fill-in-the-blank question asking us to choose the best logical connector. The answer must create the right relationship between what comes before and after the blank.
Step 3: Prethink the Answer
- Chang's theory claims cooperative consultations produce superior medical care
- The strongest evidence would show that patients who received cooperative consultations actually had better medical outcomes compared to those who got single-physician or confrontational consultations
- We'd want to see measurable, objective improvements in patient health - not just subjective measures like satisfaction, but real medical benefits that demonstrate the superior care Chang theorized about
Patients receiving confrontational consultations demonstrated higher levels of physician trust compared to those receiving cooperative multidisciplinary consultations, on average.
✗ Incorrect
- This shows confrontational consultations producing higher trust than cooperative ones
- This would actually hurt Chang's theory since it suggests confrontational consultations have an advantage
Patients who underwent cooperative multidisciplinary consultations experienced reduced medical complications during the subsequent six-month period compared to those who received single-physician or confrontational consultations, on average.
✓ Correct
- Shows patients with cooperative consultations had fewer medical complications over six months compared to both other methods
- This directly supports Chang's core claim that cooperative consultations provide superior medical care through objective, measurable outcomes
Patients participating in single-physician consultations required shorter appointment durations than those in cooperative multidisciplinary consultations, on average.
✗ Incorrect
- Shorter appointment times for single-physician consultations doesn't address care quality
- Chang's theory is about superior medical care, not efficiency or time management
Patients receiving cooperative multidisciplinary consultations reported greater satisfaction with their healthcare experience than those receiving single-physician consultations, on average.
✗ Incorrect
- Patient satisfaction supports Chang's theory but only compares cooperative to single-physician (not confrontational)
- Satisfaction is subjective and doesn't prove the superior medical care Chang claimed