health assessment chapter 2
While interviewing an adult client about the client's stress levels and coping responses, an appropriate question by the nurse is
"How do you manage your stress?"
Which of the following questions is most useful in the assessment of a client's diabetes management?
"What is your routine for checking your blood sugar these days?" is an open-ended question, while the other answers are leading questions that elicit yes-no responses.
One technique of therapeutic communication is silence. What does silence allow the patient to do?
Decide how much information to disclose
The nurse is focusing an interview on a patient's respiratory status. Which question should the nurse ask first to begin this interview?
Describe how to breathe for me?
How would the nursing instructor explain the goal of guided questioning to his or her students?
Facilitating the patient's fullest communication
Learning about the effects of the illness does what for the nurse and the patient?
Gives them the opportunity to create a complete and congruent picture of the problem
During an interview, the patient begins to talk about the frequency of being abused by a spouse. What can the nurse do at this time to acknowledge the sensitivity of the information the patient is providing?
Stop documenting in order to maintain eye contact with the patient.
In interviewing a client about substance use, a nurse asks her whether she takes any herbal supplements. Which of the following is the best rationale for asking this question?
Some herbal supplements may interact with prescribed medications
The nurse is beginning a health history interview with an adult client who expresses anger at the nurse. The best approach for dealing with an angry client is for the nurse to
allow the client to verbalize his or her feelings
During an assessment the client says "I've been having bad pain in my left leg for a week." In which section should the nurse document this information?
chief compliant
A nurse draws a genogram to help organize and illustrate a client's family history. Which shape is a standard format of representing a deceased female relative?
circle with a cross
The nurse is planning to interview a client who is being treated for depression. When the nurse enters the examination room, the client is sitting on the table with shoulders slumped. The nurse should plan to approach this client by
expressing interest in a neutral manner When interacting with a depressed client, express interest in and understanding of the client and respond in a neutral manner.
For a nurse to be therapeutic with clients when dealing with sensitive issues such as terminal illness or sexuality, the nurse should have
knowledge of his or her own thoughts and feelings about these issues.
An older client cannot recall the date of a surgical procedure but the adult daughter interjects with the exact date because it occurred a week before her wedding. How should the nurse document this information?
last surgery date validated by adult daughter
Which action should a nurse implement when assessing a nonnative client to facilitate collection of subjective data?
maintain a professional distance during assessment
During the interview of an adult client, the nurse should
provide the client with information as questions arise
The nurse documents information about a client's activity-exercise health pattern. Which information did the nurse most likely document?
unable to go to the gym since having back surgery The client's inability to go to the gym after having back surgery is affecting the activity-exercise health pattern. Gaining weight affects the nutrition health pattern. Panic attacks affects coping-stress-tolerance health pattern. Missing friends affects the role-relationship health pattern.
A client is asked to describe "something that brings the most hope." Which functional health pattern is the nurse assessing?
value-belief
During an interview between a nurse and a client, the nurse and the client collaborate to identify problems and goals. This occurs during the phase of the interview termed
working phase
A nurse is collecting data on a client's chief complaint, which is a spell of numbness and tingling on her left side. Which of the following questions would be best for eliciting information related to associated factors?
"What other symptoms occurred during the spell?"
What are the nursing goals for the introductory phase of the nurse-patient interview? (Select all that apply.)
Establishing a trusting, respectful rapport with the patient. Agreeing upon the agenda for the interview.
When interacting with a client, what conveys the extent of interest, attention, acceptance, and understanding of the nurse? (Select all that apply.)
Eye contact Gestures Posture Tone of voice
The nurse is caring for a client exhibiting slurred speech after suffering from a cerebrovascular accident. The nurse is unable to completely understand the client. What is the nurse's best action?
ask the client to repeat the statement or question
The nurse learns that a client is unable to sleep because of high anxiety. On which category of health patterns should the nurse focus?
coping-stress-tolerance
Which type of question is asked first by the nurse in order to attain a full description of the client's symptoms and to generate and test diagnostic hypotheses?
open-ended questions to encourage the client to tell his or her story
During a health history a client recalls the date when being first diagnosed with hypertension. Which term should the nurse use to categorize the quality of the client's data?
reliable The client's memory is intact and would be considered reliable. The terms puzzling, concerning, and questionable would not apply because the client was able to provide an exact date.
During the interview process, the nurse uses both open-ended and closed-ended questions. During what phase of the interview process does the nurse use these specific types of questions?
Working
The nurse is preparing to interview a client with a history of sexual abuse. What technique should the nurse use when conducting this interview?
be nonjudgemental
The nurse is preparing to interview an adult client for the first time. The nurse observes that the client appears very anxious. The nurse should
explain the role and purpose of a nurse
While interviewing a patient, the nurse asks, "What happens when you have low blood glucose?" This type of response to the patient is used for what purpose?
to clarify
A nurse is discussing with a client the client's personal health history. Which of the following would be an appropriate question to ask at this time?
"what diseases did you have as a child?" Information covered in the personal health history section includes questions about birth, growth, development, childhood diseases, immunizations, allergies, medication use, previous health problems, hospitalizations, surgeries, pregnancies, births, previous accidents, injuries, pain experiences, and emotional or psychiatric problems
A graduate nurse working on a medical-surgical unit is admitting a client who does not speak English. No interpreters are available. The client's spouse is present and speaks English. What should the nurse remember about the use of interpreters when communicating with clients?
Friends and family who are unfamiliar with medical terminology may misinterpret information
A client admitted to the health care facility for new onset of abdominal pain expresses to the nurse that she was treated for gastroesophageal reflux disease in the past. In which section of the comprehensive health assessment should the nurse document this information?
Personal health history The chief complaint is the abdominal pain. Any associated symptoms would be a part of the history of present illness. The information provided by the client about a past illness would be part of the personal health history. Review of systems provides specific questions about past illnesses that might still be impacting the client.
A client scheduled for surgery tells the nurse that he is very anxious about the surgery. What is an appropriate action by the nurse when interacting with this client?
Provide simple and organized information. The nurse should provide simple and organized information to reassure the client about the procedure and its expected outcomes
During the client interview, the nurse asks specific questions such as "What were you doing when the pain started?" or "Was the pain relieved when you rested?" In what phase of the interview is the nurse involved?
Working During the working phase, the nurse collects data by asking specific questions.
A nurse is interviewing an adult client who had a miscarriage 3 weeks ago. The woman is crying and is having difficulty talking. The nurse moves closer and places a hand on the woman's hand. What type of communication is this?
active listening
A client is unable to recall the last time an immunization was received. Which part of the client's health should the nurse realize is being the most impacted by this practice?
health maintenance
An elderly client with Parkinson's disease and his wife, who appears to be much younger than he, are being interviewed by the nurse to update the client's health history. The nurse also has the client's electronic health record on her tablet computer. Earlier in the day, the nurse had spoken with the client's primary care physician, who had relayed some concerns to the nurse regarding the progression of the client's disease. Which source of biographic information should the nurse view as primary?
the client The client is considered the primary source and all others (including the client's medical record) are secondary sources. In some cases, the client's immediate family or caregiver may be a more accurate source of information than the client.
A client who only speaks Spanish is admitted to the unit. The client's sister, who speaks English, is in the room when the English-speaking nurse starts the admission assessment. Why would it be inappropriate to use the sister as an interpreter for this client?
the client may not want their sister to know their private information