Question 1

When the nurse is evaluating the reliability of a patient's responses,which of the following would be a correct statement?

Accepted Answer

A reliable person always gives the same answers,even when questions are rephrased or are repeated later in the interview.

Question 2

A 29-year-old woman tells the nurse that she has "excruciating pain" in her back.Which of the following would be an appropriate response by the nurse to her statement?

Accepted Answer

The symptom of pain is difficult to quantify because of individual interpretation.With pain,avoid adjectives and ask how it affects daily activities.

Question 3

Which of the following statements best describes the purpose of a health history?

Accepted Answer

The purpose of the health history is to collect subjective data-what the person says about himself or herself.

Question 4

A female patient tells the nurse that she has had six pregnancies,with four live births at term and two spontaneous abortions.Her four children are still living.How would the nurse record this information?

Accepted Answer

Obstetric history includes the number of pregnancies (gravidity),number of deliveries in which the fetus reached term (term),number of preterm pregnancies (preterm),number of incomplete pregnancies (abortions),and number of children living (living).This is recorded: Grav _____ Term _____ Preterm _____ Ab _____ Living _____.For any incomplete pregnancies,record the duration and whether the pregnancy resulted in spontaneous (S)or induced (I)abortion.

Question 5

In response to a question about stress,a 39-year-old woman tells the nurse that her husband and mother both died in the past year.Which response by the nurse is most appropriate?

Accepted Answer

Coping and stress management includes kinds of stresses in life,especially in the last year,any change in lifestyle or any current stress,methods tried to relieve stress,and whether these have been helpful.

Question 6

Which of the following statements represents subjective data obtained from the patient regarding his skin?

Accepted Answer

Remember that the history should be limited to patient statements or subjective data-factors that the person says were or were not present.

Question 7

The nurse is obtaining a history from a 30-year-old male patient and is concerned about health promotion activities.Which of the following questions would be appropriate to use to assess health promotion activities for this patient?

Accepted Answer

Health promotion for a man would include performance of testicular self-examination.

Question 8

A patient tells the nurse that she has had abdominal pain for the past week.What would be the best response by the nurse?

Accepted Answer

A final summary of any symptom the person has should include,along with seven other critical characteristics,"Location: specific." Ask the person to point to the location.

Question 9

The nurse is obtaining a health history on an 87-year-old woman.Which of the following areas of questioning would be most useful at this time?

Accepted Answer

It is important for the nurse to recognize positive health measures: what the person has been doing to help himself or herself stay well and to live to an older age.

Question 10

Which of the following responses might the nurse expect during a functional assessment of a patient whose leg is in a cast?

Accepted Answer

Functional assessment measures a person's self-care ability in the areas of general physical health or absence of illness.

Question 11

The mother of a 16-month-old toddler tells the nurse that her daughter has an earache.What would be an appropriate response?

Accepted Answer

With a child,ask the parent,"How do you know the child is in pain?" (Pulling at ears alerts parent to ear pain. )

Question 12

A 90-year-old patient tells the nurse that he can't remember the names of the drugs he is taking or what they are for.An appropriate response would be:

Accepted Answer

The person may not know the drug name or purpose.When this occurs,ask the person to bring in the drug to be identified.

Question 13

The review of systems provides the nurse with:

Accepted Answer

The purposes of this section are (1)to evaluate the past and current health state of each body system, (2)to double check in case any significant data were omitted in the present illness section,and (3)to evaluate health promotion practices.

Question 14

In response to a question regarding use of alcohol,a patient asks the nurse why the nurse needs to know.What is the reason for needing this information?

Accepted Answer

Alcohol interacts adversely with all medications;it is a factor in many social problems such as child or sexual abuse,automobile accidents,and assaults;it contributes to many illnesses and disease processes.

Question 15

A description of who lives with a child,the method of discipline,and support system are all related to which part of the assessment?

Accepted Answer

Functional assessment includes interpersonal relationships and home environment.

Question 16

The nurse is taking a family history.Important diseases or problems to ask the patient about include:

Accepted Answer

Specifically ask for any family history of heart disease,high blood pressure,stroke,diabetes,blood disorders,cancer,sickle cell anemia,arthritis,allergies,obesity,alcoholism,mental illness,seizure disorder,kidney disease,and tuberculosis.

Question 17

In obtaining the history from the mother of a 2-year-old with pneumonia,the nurse asks the mother if she smoked or used drugs during her pregnancy.Her response is,"What does that have to do with pneumonia?" How would the nurse answer her question?

Accepted Answer

Record the mother's use of alcohol,street drugs,or cigarettes and any x-ray studies taken during pregnancy.

Question 18

The nurse is performing a review of systems on a 76-year-old patient.Which of the following statements is correct for this situation?

Accepted Answer

The health history includes the same format as that described for the younger adult as well as some additional questions.These questions address ways in which the activities of daily living may have been affected by normal aging processes or by the effects of chronic illness or disability.

Question 19

A patient tells the nurse that he is allergic to penicillin.What would be the nurse's best response to this information?

Accepted Answer

Note both the allergen (medication,food,or contact agent,such as fabric or environmental agent)and the reaction (rash,itching,runny nose,watery eyes,difficulty breathing).With a drug,this symptom should not be a side effect but a true allergic reaction.

Question 20

In obtaining a review of systems on a "healthy" 7-year-old girl,the health care provider knows that it would be important to include the:

Accepted Answer

When reviewing the cardiovascular system,the health care provider should ask whether there is any limitation of activity or whether the child can keep up with her peers.

Quiz 5: The Complete Health History