A medical assistant asks a patient, "Would you say the pain is low, moderate, or severe?" This is an example of what type of question?

The question posed by the medical assistant, "Would you say the pain is low, moderate, or severe?" is an example of a leading question because it guides the patient towards a specific response by providing defined categories to choose from. Leading questions often suggest a direction for the answer and can inadvertently influence the patient's response.

By offering a limited selection of responses, the assistant encourages the patient to fit their experience into one of those categories rather than exploring their feelings about the pain more broadly. In contrast, open-ended questions would allow the patient to express their experience in their own words, which could yield a more nuanced understanding of the pain they are experiencing. Close-ended questions typically expect a simple yes or no answer or a specific piece of information, while probing questions seek to gather additional details or clarification about a subject.