How would you explain an uncertain imaging finding to an anxious patient?

Example Answer

I can understand why that wording is worrying. “Indeterminate” means this scan cannot tell us exactly what the area in your kidney is. It does not mean we have diagnosed cancer, and I also cannot promise that it is harmless.

We have recommended an MRI to look at it in more detail. The purpose is to get information this scan could not provide, so the team can decide whether anything else is needed. Before I explain that plan further, what have you been told so far, and what is worrying you most?

We will confirm who is arranging the MRI and how you will receive the result. Before you leave, I will make sure you have a contact if the appointment does not come through.

Could you tell me in your own words what you understand about the finding and the next step? I want to check that I have explained it clearly.

What the interviewer is assessing

Essential: Use words the patient can understand and separate an unresolved finding from a diagnosis. This question asks for the actual conversation, not a description of communication skills.

Stronger: Respond to the patient's concern, pause for questions, and confirm an achievable plan and contact. Use a qualified interpreter when needed.

Red flags: “It is probably nothing,” an unsupported percentage, or implying that MRI will always deliver a definitive diagnosis.

Follow-up

The patient asks, “Would you be worried if this were your kidney?”

Example response: “I would want it assessed, and I would find the uncertainty difficult too. What I can tell you is that we have a clear next step to learn more. The current scan does not justify giving you either a cancer diagnosis or an all-clear.”

This is an original communication exercise. MRI is a stipulated, already-agreed plan for this fictional patient, not a recommendation for every indeterminate kidney finding.