Question 1

The nurse is preparing to conduct a health history.Which of these statements best describes the purpose of a health history?

Accepted Answer

A)  To provide an opportunity for interaction between patient and nurse 
B)  To provide a form for obtaining the patient's biographic information 
C)  To document the normal and abnormal findings of a physical assessment 
D)  To provide a data base of subjective information about the patient's past and current health

Question 2

The nurse is conducting a developmental history on a 5-year-old child.Which questions are appropriate to ask the parents for this part of the assessment? Select all that apply.

Accepted Answer

A)  "How much junk food does your child eat?" 
B)  "How many teeth has he lost, and when did he lose them?" 
C)  "Is he able to tie his shoelaces?" 
D)  "Does he take a children's vitamin?" 
E)  "Can he tell time?"
F) "Does he have any food allergies?"

Question 3

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

A)  last glaucoma examination. 
B)  frequency of breast self-examinations. 
C)  date of her last electrocardiogram. 
D)  limitations related to her involvement in sports activities.

Question 4

The nurse is performing a functional assessment on an 82-year-old patient who recently had a stroke.Which of these questions would be most important to ask?

Accepted Answer

A)  "Do you wear glasses?" 
B)  "Are you able to dress yourself?" 
C)  "Do you have any thyroid problems?" 
D)  "How many times a day do you have a bowel movement?"

Question 5

The nurse is assessing a patient's headache pain.Which questions reflect one or more of the critical characteristics of symptoms that should be assessed? Select all that apply.

Accepted Answer

A)  "Where is the headache pain?" 
B)  "Did you have these headaches as a child?" 
C)  "On a scale of 1 to 10, how bad is the pain?" 
D)  "How often do the headaches occur?" 
E)  "What makes the headaches feel better?"
F) "Do you have any family history of headaches?"

Question 6

The nurse is preparing to complete a health assessment on a 16-year-old girl whose parents have brought her to the clinic.Which instruction would be appropriate for the parents before the interview begins?

Accepted Answer

A)  "Please stay during the interview; you can answer for her if she does not know the answer." 
B)  "It would help to interview the three of you together." 
C)  "While I interview your daughter, will you please stay in the room and complete these family health history questionnaires?" 
D)  "While I interview your daughter, will you step out to the waiting room and complete these family health history questionnaires?"

Question 7

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

A)  This information is necessary to determine the patient's reliability. 
B)  Alcohol can interact with all medications and can make some diseases worse. 
C)  The nurse needs to be able to teach the patient about the dangers of alcohol use. 
D)  It's not really necessary to have this information unless there is an obvious drinking problem.

Question 8

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

A)  "Maybe she is just teething." 
B)  "I will check her ear for an ear infection." 
C)  "Are you sure she is really having pain?" 
D)  "Please describe what she is doing to indicate she is having pain."

Question 9

During an assessment,the nurse uses the CAGE test.The patient answers "yes" to two of the questions.What could this be indicating?

Accepted Answer

A)  The patient is an alcoholic. 
B)  The patient is annoyed at the questions. 
C)  The patient should be examined thoroughly for possible alcohol withdrawal symptoms. 
D)  The nurse should suspect alcohol abuse and continue with a more thorough substance abuse assessment.

Question 10

The review of systems provides the nurse with:

Accepted Answer

A)  physical findings related to each system. 
B)  information regarding health promotion practices. 
C)  an opportunity to teach the patient medical terms. 
D)  information necessary for the nurse to diagnose the patient's medical problem.

Question 11

The nurse is incorporating a person's spiritual values into the health history.Which of these questions illustrates the "community" portion of the FICA questions?

Accepted Answer

A)  "Do you believe in God?" 
B)  "Are you a part of any religious or spiritual congregation?" 
C)  "Do you consider yourself to be a religious or spiritual person?" 
D)  "How does your religious faith influence the way you think about your health?"

Question 12

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

Accepted Answer

A)  "Are you allergic to any other drugs?" 
B)  "How often have you received penicillin?" 
C)  "I'll write your allergy on your chart so you won't receive any penicillin." 
D)  "Please describe what happens to you when you take penicillin."

Question 13

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

Accepted Answer

A)  "Do you perform testicular self-examinations?" 
B)  "Have you ever noticed any pain in your testicles?" 
C)  "Have you had any problems with passing urine?" 
D)  "Do you have any history of sexually transmitted disease?"

Question 14

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

Accepted Answer

A)  "Can you tell me what they look like?" 
B)  "Don't worry about it. You are only taking two medications." 
C)  "How long have you been taking each of the pills?" 
D)  "Would you have your family bring in your medications?"

Question 15

A patient is describing his symptoms to the nurse.Which of these statements reflects a description of the setting of his symptoms?

Accepted Answer

A)  "It is a sharp, burning pain in my stomach." 
B)  "I also have the sweats and nausea when I feel this pain." 
C)  "I think this pain is telling me that something bad is wrong with me." 
D)  "This pain happens every time I sit down to use the computer."

Exam 4: The Complete Health History