Question 1

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

Accepted Answer

A)  "How does your family react to your pain?"
B)  "The pain must be terrible.You probably pinched a nerve."
C)  "I've had back pain myself, and it can be excruciating."
D)  "How would you say the pain affects your ability to do your daily activities?" D

Question 2

As part of the health history of a 6-year-old boy at a clinic for a sports physical examination, the nurse reviews his immunization record and notes that his last measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccination was at age 15 months.What recommendation should the nurse make?

Accepted Answer

A)  No further MMR immunizations are needed.
B)  MMR vaccination needs to be repeated at ages 4 years through 6 years.
C)  MMR immunization needs to be repeated every 4 years until age 21 years.
D)  A recommendation cannot be made until the physician is consulted. B

Question 3

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

Accepted Answer

A)  Obstetric history
B)  Childhood illnesses
C)  General health for the past 20 years
D)  Current health promotion activities D

Question 4

When the nurse asks for a description of who lives with a child, the method of discipline, and the support system for the child, what part of the assessment is being performed?

Accepted Answer

A)  Family history
B)  Review of systems
C)  Functional assessment
D)  Reason for seeking care

Question 5

In recording the childhood illnesses of a patient who denies having had any, which note by the nurse would be most accurate?

Accepted Answer

A)  Patient denies usual childhood illnesses.
B)  Patient states he was a "very healthy" child.
C)  Patient states his sister had measles, but he did not.
D)  Patient denies having had measles, mumps, rubella, chickenpox, pertussis, and strep throat.

Question 6

A 90-year-old patient tells the nurse that he cannot 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 a family member bring in your medications?"

Question 7

A 59-year-old patient tells the nurse that he has ulcerative colitis.He has been having "black stools" for the past 24 hours.How would the nurse best document his reason for seeking care?

Accepted Answer

A)  J.M.is a 59-year-old man seeking treatment for ulcerative colitis.
B)  J.M.came into the clinic complaining of having black stools for the past 24 hours.
C)  J.M.is a 59-year-old man who states that he has ulcerative colitis and wants it checked.
D)  J.M.is a 59-year-old man who states that he has been having "black stools" for the past 24 hours.

Question 8

The nurse is incorporating a person's spiritual values into the health history.Which of these questions illustrates the "community" portion of the FICA (faith and belief, importance and influence, community, and addressing or applying in care) questions?

Accepted Answer

A)  "Do you believe in God?"
B)  "Are you a part of any religious or spiritual group?"
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 9

The nurse is preparing to do a functional assessment.Which statement best describes the purpose of the functional assessment?

Accepted Answer

A)  The functional assessment assesses how the individual is coping with life at home.
B)  It determines how children are meeting developmental milestones.
C)  The functional assessment can identify any problems with memory the individual may be experiencing.
D)  It helps determine how a person is managing day-to-day activities.

Question 10

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 is wrong with me."
D)  "This pain happens every time I sit down to use the computer."

Question 11

The review of systems section 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 12

A 5-year-old boy is being admitted to the hospital to have his tonsils removed.Which information should the nurse collect before this procedure?

Accepted Answer

A)  Child's birth weight
B)  Age at which he crawled
C)  Whether the child has had measles
D)  Child's reactions to previous hospitalizations

Question 13

The nurse is obtaining the 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 diseases?"

Question 14

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

Accepted Answer

A)  "I broke my right leg in a car accident 2 weeks ago."
B)  "The pain is decreasing, but I still need to take acetaminophen."
C)  "I check the colour of my toes every evening just like I was taught."
D)  "I'm able to transfer myself from the wheelchair to the bed without help."

Question 15

In response to a question regarding the 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)  This information is not necessary unless a drinking problem is obvious.

Question 16

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 children's vitamins?"
E)  "Can he tell time?"F) "Does he have any food allergies?"

Question 17

In obtaining a review of systems on a "healthy" 7-year-old girl, the nurse 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 18

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 19

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 the patient and the 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 database of subjective information about the patient's past and current health

Question 20

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?"

Exam 5: The Complete Health History