AIM:  To recognise leading questions and formulate alternative ways of asking.

INTRODUCTION:  When conducting a consultation, it is important not to ask leading questions, particularly when you are gathering information from the patient. 

A leading question is a question that assumes the answer, for example, You didn’t finish the course of antibiotics I prescribed, did you?  rather than Did you finish the course of antibiotics I prescribed?  The first question assumes that the patient didn’t finish the antibiotics, and leads them to give a specific answer.  The second example does not assume to know whether the patient did or didn’t finish the antibiotics and is more likely to get an accurate response. 

We can often ask a leading question without being aware of it (particularly if we think we know what the answer will be). 

INSTRUCTIONS:  Look at the following questions and try to reformulate them in a more appropriate form.

e.g.  So you’ve had sex with someone other than your boyfriend recently?

would be better phrased as:

         Have you had sex with anyone else recently?        

Answers are provided on the next page.