The student nurse is preparing to perform a health history ...

[Jipu 123]

The student nurse is preparing to perform a health history interview. Which statements indicate that the student nurse requires further education regarding the purpose of the health history?
 
  Select all that apply.
  1. As the nurse, I will mainly focus on the course of the client's illness.
  2. The client's health history can be gathered during the initial interview.
  3. I realize that the client is sick, but I also need to perform a wellness assessment.
  4. The healthcare provider's and nurse's assessments should be almost identical with the same focus.
  5. The nurse typically has a more holistic point of view regarding the client's health.

Question 2

Which is an appropriate secondary source of information when conducting a health history to obtain accurate information?
 
  1. The client's spouse.
  2. The client's healthcare provider.
  3. The client's medical record.
  4. The client's adult child.

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Answer to Question 1

Correct Answer: 1, 4

The healthcare provider will typically focus on the client's illness, while the nurse will focus on the client. The healthcare provider's focus and the nurse's focus regarding the client's health differ significantly. The nurse's health history may produce information about a medical diagnosis, but the focus is on the client's response to the health concern as a whole person. The healthcare provider focuses on specific body systems or body parts of the client. The nurse can gather the health history during the initial interview. The nurse should perform a wellness assessment as part of the health history. The nurse does typically have a more holistic view of the client when compared to the healthcare provider's point of view.

Answer to Question 2

Correct Answer: 3

The medical record is an appropriate secondary source of information when needing to obtain accurate information during the health history process. The client's spouse, healthcare provider, and adult child can all be used as primary sources of information in certain circumstances.