Deck 3: Taking the Health History

Question 1

A nurse is taking a health history on a 59-year-old female patient. All of the following are purposes of the health history EXCEPT:

A) To identify the patient's teaching needs.
B) To identify self-care and health promotion practices.
C) To assess the patient's vital signs.
D) To document the patient's past and present health.

Answer 1

To assess the patient's vital signs.

Question 2

A patient's medication history is part of his or her health history. A nurse will inquire about:

A) Over-the-counter medications.
B) Herbal and nonherbal supplements.
C) Prescription medications.
D) All of the above.

Answer 2

All of the above.

Question 3

The nurse is asking a patient about his past medical history (PMH). PMH includes:

A) Accidents or injuries.
B) Height and weight.
C) Living situation.
D) Reason for admission.

Answer 3

Accidents or injuries.

Question 4

The four fundamental topics of a psychosocial assessment are:

A) Education, occupation, finances, and safety.
B) Behavioral, environmental, social, and financial/economic.
C) Behavioral, education, cognitive, and safety.
D) Cognitive, developmental, safety, and behavioral.

Question 5

A student nurse is assessing a 28-year-old female patient and suspects she is a victim of domestic violence. The student will include which of the following in her assessment of the patient?

A) Ask questions about possible domestic violence in front of the patient's partner.
B) Wait for the patient to tell you about any possible domestic violence.
C) Assume there is no domestic violence if there are no obvious physical signs of abuse.
D) Ask the patient, in private, if she has ever been physically abused in any way.

Question 6

It is not always easy to discuss sexual history with patients. A nurse is assessing the sexual history of a newly admitted patient and wants him to feel more comfortable. The nurse will reassure the patient using which of the following statements?

A) "You are required to answer the questions so we have a complete health history."
B) "We do not need to have this conversation if you are uncomfortable."
C) "Tell me what you think is important to share about your sexual history."
D) "I understand these questions are personal, but they are important for your overall health."

Question 7

As part of a mental health assessment, a nurse considers the patient's appearance to be of importance. The nurse will observe all the following EXCEPT:

A) General appearance.
B) Speech.
C) Mood.
D) Behavior.

Question 8

A patient arrives in the emergency department and the nurse suspects she is at risk for suicide. The nurse realizes her priority action is:

A) To never leave the patient alone in the room.
B) To ask the patient about past suicide attempts.
C) To leave to get the health-care provider to come assess the patient.
D) To allow the patient to go to the bathroom unattended.

Question 9

The nurse understands that health assessment is an optimal time for patient education. When educating a patient during a health assessment, a nurse knows that:

A) Only educating the patient about health-care topics the patient asks about is necessary.
B) It is an optimal time to discuss health screenings and health promotion with the patient.
C) Education should only be done with the patient if time allows for patient education.
D) Educating the family about health-care topics important to the patient should be done.

Question 10

During an assessment of a veteran, a nurse knows the goal is to improve the quality of veterans' health care. Which of the following questions will the nurse ask the veteran?

A) "How has military service affected you?"
B) "Do you think your veterans' benefits cover enough?""
C) "Do you feel veterans are treated fairly?"
D) "Do you feel you are respected as a veteran?"

Question 11

Vaccines are important in preventing diseases. Looking at a patient's health-care history, a nurse needs to assess the immunization history, which should include all vaccines the patient has received throughout his or her life. All of the following are vaccines EXCEPT:

A) Pneumococcal.
B) Varicella.
C) Human papillomavirus (HPV).
D) Tuberculin Mantoux.

Question 12

A patient arrives in the emergency department with a complaint of an injury at work. As part of the admission assessment, the nurse needs to determine how the injury occurred. What priority question or statement will the nurse ask to determine the cause of the injury?

A) "Tell me how this injury occurred."
B) "Do you think it is time to find a new job?"
C) "Do you think your employer will pay your health-care costs?"
D) "Will you continue to get paid even while you are injured?"

Question 13

A patient arrives at the primary care physician's (PCP's) office smelling of cigarette smoke. She has a documented history of cigarette use and admits to smoking cigarettes. The nurse assesses for the patient's smoking history. What is the initial question the nurse is going to ask the patient?

A) "Do other members of your family smoke?"
B) "Have you ever tried quitting smoking?"
C) "How many packs of cigarettes do you smoke daily?"
D) "What brand of cigarettes do you smoke?"

Question 14

A nurse is concerned that a patient recently admitted for surgery has a problem with alcohol. The nurse will ask all of the following assessment questions EXCEPT:

A) "This is a difficult topic. Do you want to talk about it?""
B) "How often do you drink alcohol?"
C) "What kind of alcohol do you drink?"
D) "Have you ever been arrested for a driving under the influence (DUI)?"

Question 15

A nurse has been assigned to care for a patient from a cultural background that he is not familiar with. He knows that it is important to provide culturally competent care to all of his patients. In order to do this, the nurse understands there are some important practices to follow, including;

A) Telling the patient that you do not understand his culture and practices.
B) Encouraging the patient to be open and share his beliefs, concerns, and practices with you.
C) Telling the patient that due to a busy assignment you do not have time to learn about his culture.
D) Telling the patient there is only one meal option and the hospital does not have dietary options for other cultures.

Question 16

Ideally, a health history should come from a patient, but there are circumstances in which the patient is unable to answer health history questions. In the case that the patient is unable to answer the health history questions, which is acceptable documentation?

A) Patient is unable to answer questions and is unreliable due to decreased cognition.
B) Patient's family member is reporting the health history on behalf of the patient.
C) Patient is unable to answer health history questions due to recent mild stroke.
D) All of the above.

Question 17

While performing a health history, the patient seems to be sad with a loss of interest in daily activities. The nurse wants to do a thorough assessment for depression. The nurse knows, in assessing the patient for depression, to ask which of the following questions?

A) "Is it okay if we talk about your feelings of sadness?"
B) "Many patients feel sad when they are in the hospital. Do you feel alone?"
C) "Over the past 2 weeks have you felt down, depressed, or hopeless?"
D) "You seem to be sad. Do you want me to get someone for you to talk to?"

Question 18

Cognitive impairment can occur as part of aging, disease, trauma, or surgery. Cognitive assessments need to be performed on all patients and include all of the following EXCEPT:

A) Thinking skills.
B) Perception.
C) Memory.
D) Speech.

Question 19

A patient's reason for seeking health care may focus on:

A) The history of present health.
B) The history of present illness.
C) The presenting symptoms.
D) All of the above.

Question 20

A nursing student is performing her first health assessment on a patient. The student remembers one important fact that she learned in class about health assessments is that when talking with patients:

A) Do not use medical terminology.
B) Ask closed-ended questions.
C) Allow the patient limited time.
D) Ask general questions.

Question 21

A student nurse is preparing to take a health history on her first patient. She had learned that biographical data is part of a patient's health history. Which of the following are considered biographical data in a patient's health history? Select all that apply.

A) Race
B) Occupation
C) Gender
D) Medications
E) Height

Question 22

A nurse is using the CAGE-AID questionnaire to assess whether a 21-year-old male patient recently admitted to the emergency department is abusing drugs or alcohol. The nurse will ask which of the following questions as part of questionnaire? Select all that apply.

A) "Do you ever feel the need to use drugs or drink in the morning as an eye-opener?"
B) "Have you ever felt guilty about your drinking or drug use?"
C) "Do you ever feel you crave alcohol or drugs?"
D) "Do you feel alcohol or drugs aid you in getting through your day?"
E) "Have you ever felt you needed to cut down on your drinking or drug use?"

Question 23

In assessing a patient's activities of daily living (ADLs) the nurse needs to ask the patient if he or she is independent in ADLs or if he or she needs assistance. The activities that the nurse will question the patient about include which of the following? Select all that apply.

A) Sleeping
B) Meal preparation
C) Driving
D) Dressing
E) Bathing

Question 24

A patient's family health history helps to identify the history of illness for family members. The nurse knows the family health history can more specifically identify which of the following? Select all that apply.

A) History of family education
B) Any genetic or familial tendencies for a disease
C) Family health patterns or tendencies
D) History of family eating patterns
E) History of family obesity trends

Question 25

A 33-year-old female has arrived in the emergency department after being hit by a car. It is evident she will have a long recovery ahead of her. The nurse wants to be sure she has a support system in place. What questions will the nurse ask the patient to assess her support system? Select all that apply.

A) "Does anyone else live with you?"
B) "Tell me about your family and friends."
C) "Do you think you will need to go to a rehab facility?"
D) "Who is your support system?"
E) "Who would you like on your visitor list?"

Question 26

The BATHE assessment technique serves as a tool for screening patients for anxiety, depression, and situation stress disorders. Which of the following are topics of the BATHE assessment? Select all that apply.

A) Empathy
B) Trouble
C) Background
D) Anxiety
E) Handling

Question 27

Documentation in a patient's electronic medical record should be which of the following? Select all that apply.

A) Handwritten
B) Clear
C) Concise
D) Detailed
E) General

Question 28

Spiritual assessment is part of the overall assessment of a patient. A nurse needs to understand the difference between spirituality and religion in order to effectively assess spiritual needs of a patient. ____________________ is an organized system of beliefs shared by a group of people, while ____________________ is multifaceted; it is a search for a meaningful and overall purpose of life and a sense of life's direction.

Question 29

The nurse is performing a mental health assessment on a 42-year-old male patient. As part of the mental health assessment, the nurse needs to assess the patient's orientation to ____________________, ____________________, and ____________________.

Question 30

____________________ data are pieces of information specifically reported by the patient in a health history.