Deck 12: History Taking

Question 1

In preparing to radiograph a patient who has come to the medical imaging department with a complaint of abdominal pain,you begin to question the patient as part of the history.A good initial question to ask the patient would be

A)"Did you have any problem with parking here at the hospital?"
B)"Can you tell me about the nature of your pain?"
C)"Your request states that you have stomach pain,is that correct?"
D)"Have you seen your doctor about the pain?"

Answer 1

B
All histories should begin with open-ended questions to encourage the patient's spontaneous associations about the clinical problem.The use of leading questions should be avoided whenever possible because they introduce biases into the history.

Question 2

It would be professionally appropriate for the imaging professional to

A)gently touch the patient to clarify the location of his or her pain.
B)touch the patient with varying degrees of pressure to measure the patient's pain tolerance over the area of interest.
C)ask the patient to give you a general idea of the area of concern before the examination is started.
D)aggressively palpate the patient on the regions that do not hurt to isolate the area of interest.

Answer 2

A
By consenting to a procedure,patients give implied consent for the technologist to professionally touch their bodies for both information and positioning.Remember that the patient can use verbal or nonverbal communication to withdraw this permission at any time.A history can be clarified by a light touch to specify the region.

Question 3

In determining a patient's description of his or her pain,a good question to ask would be

A)"How would you describe the pain?"
B)"When did the pain first happen?"
C)"If the pain comes and goes,how often does it occur,and what is the time span between occurrences?"
D)all of the above.

Answer 3

D
All histories should begin with open-ended questions to encourage the patient's spontaneous associations about the clinical problem.All of the choices in this question are open-ended types of questions.

Question 4

When taking a patient history,it is important to

A)remain very impersonal and show little emotion or empathy toward the patient.
B)call the patient by his or her first name to establish instant credibility.
C)maintain a polite and professional demeanor when gathering information.
D)memorize the patient's comments to relay them to the radiologist later.

Question 5

An important piece of information regarding a patient's need for medical care is sought by physicians and medical professionals.Many times,patients are vague about their pain or reason for seeing the doctor.It is important to discover the patient's _____ for seeking medical care.

A)chief complaint
B)pain threshold
C)tolerance
D)insurance incentive

Question 6

The patient coming to you for an abdominal examination states,"My belly hurts." A logical question to ask next would be

A)"Can you touch the area of your belly that hurts?"
B)"Can you draw on a diagram of the human body the area that hurts?"
C)"Did you tell the nurse this when you were in the urgent care center?"
D)"Would you point to the area that hurts for the radiologist when he enters the examination room?"

Question 7

When questioning patients to obtain an accurate patient history,

A)keep your questions general in nature so as not to offend the patient.
B)start with open-ended questions and then follow up with more direct inquiries.
C)do not let the patient talk too much in order to keep the examination moving.
D)use medical "jargon" to impress the patient with your expertise.

Question 8

As a patient begins to explain his reasons for coming to the clinic for a radiographic examination,he begins to use medical terms to describe his conditions.His information appears to be accurate medically and helps clarify his symptoms.To deal with this patient,you should

A)politely listen,record his comments,and repeat his statements to clarify.
B)ask him if he is a doctor and tell the radiologist.
C)determine if he knows what he is talking about by quizzing him on basic anatomy.
D)disregard his information and record your impressions of his symptoms.

Question 9

Objective data regarding a patient's history

A)are more important than subjective data.
B)deal with a patient's feelings.
C)consist of a patient's vital signs.
D)are an effective way to explain the patient's pain level.

Question 10

On a patient's examination requisition for a KUB,you notice that the history recorded by the emergency department staff states "R/O appendicitis." In an effort to gain more precise information about the patient's condition,questions to ask that would be important to this examination (KUB)would be:
1)"How would you describe the pain?"
2)"Have you had previous appendix surgery?"
3)"Do you know if the emergency department called in a sonographer?"
4)"Can you touch the area that specifically hurts?"
5)"Are you sure it's not your kidneys?"
6)"Does the pain appear to be in your appendix?"

A)1,3,4,and 6 only.
B)1 and 4 only.
C)2,3,5,and 6 only.
D)1 only.

Question 11

As you prepare to take a PA chest radiograph on a patient who is suspected of having a lung collapse,you note that the patient has an extremely difficult time taking in a deep inspiration.An imaging sciences professional would

A)make no mention of the breathing pattern because it has no relationship to a lung collapse.
B)work very quickly and not bother with any additional patient history.
C)record the depth of inspiration as a measure of the quality of the symptom.
D)call inhalation therapy to measure the inspiration with a spirometer.

Question 12

As you perform a STAT skull series on a conscious patient from the emergency department (ED),you notice that the patient has a large swelling over his left temporal region.The patient requisition states that the patient had trauma,and nothing else is provided.An imaging sciences professional would

A)give the patient an ice pack to lessen the swelling before the exposure is taken.
B)call the ED nurse to ask if he or she saw the swelling and recorded it in the patient's electronic medical record (EMR).
C)ask the ED nurse to come to the radiography room for a more accurate patient history.
D)record the swelling on the requisition and ask the patient what kind of injury he experienced.

Question 13

Which of the following is not one of the sacred seven of medical histories?

A)Severity
B)Birth date
C)Onset
D)Chronology

Question 14

In the process of questioning a patient about the reason for having the requested x-ray examination,the patient becomes irritated and complains that she "is getting pretty tired of saying the same things over and over to all these nurses." An effective method to deal with this patient's attitude would be to

A)call security and have her escorted back to the outpatient center receptionist.
B)tell her it is not your fault she is upset and not to take it out on you.
C)not ask any additional questions so as not to upset her any more.
D)explain that each person asking questions is trying to find additional important information about her condition.

Question 15

An imaging sciences professional

A)relates his or her personal experiences to the patient's when taking a history.
B)uses "pet names" such as "dear," "cutie," and "honey" to encourage the patient to provide more intimate information about his or her condition.
C)relies exclusively on objective patient data so as not to bias the patient history.
D)does none of the above.

Question 16

In recording a patient history for the radiologist,you note that the patient has an open sore on her ankle.In your description,you indicate that the sore is draining and has a foul odor.This information deals with the _____ of a patient history.

A)quality
B)chronology
C)logic
D)onset

Question 17

When asking about a patient's pain,it is effective to

A)ask the patient if the pain runs down his or her leg.
B)assure the patient that questions about pain offer little insight into the patient's condition.
C)ask the patient if the pain is in his or her abdomen.
D)ask the patient to point to or touch the area that hurts and record that area on the requisition.

Question 18

Most radiologists have one key question they want answered when it relates to any medical imaging examination.That question most likely would be

A)Why is the patient having this examination?
B)What pain level is the patient tolerating?
C)Can the patient tell you what day it is and what hospital he or she is visiting?
D)Is there a reason for coming to the hospital rather than an outpatient clinic?

Question 19

Good history taking involves the collection of objective and subjective data.All of the following are examples of subjective data EXCEPT the patient's

A)emotions.
B)respiratory rate.
C)speech pattern.
D)ability to follow your instructions.

Question 20

It would be inappropriate to

A)repeat the patient's comments regarding the symptoms to keep the examination time short.
B)call the patient by his or her surname (preceded by Mr.,Ms.,or Mrs.)to establish a professional image.
C)ask the patient leading questions regarding his or her symptoms.
D)describe the patient's symptoms to the radiologist in precise medical terms.