1. What are the four components of a comprehensive health history? Explain the
purpose and content of each component.
- The four components are: biographic data, reason for seeking care, present health or
history of present illness, and past health. Biographic data includes information such
as name, age, gender, occupation, marital status, etc. Reason for seeking care is a
brief statement of the patient's main complaint or problem. Present health or history
of present illness is a detailed description of the patient's current symptoms, onset,
duration, frequency, severity, location, quality, aggravating and relieving factors,
associated symptoms, and effect on daily activities. Past health includes information
about the patient's past medical history, family history, personal and social history,
and review of systems.
- Answer: biographic data; reason for seeking care; present health or history of present
illness; past health / biographic data: name, age, gender, etc.; reason for seeking
care: main complaint or problem; present health or history of present illness: current
symptoms, onset, duration, etc.; past health: past medical history, family history, etc.
2. What are the three levels of prevention in health promotion? Give an example of
each level.
- The three levels of prevention are: primary prevention, secondary prevention, and
tertiary prevention. Primary prevention aims to prevent disease or injury before it
occurs by eliminating or reducing risk factors. Examples include immunization,
smoking cessation, seat belt use, etc. Secondary prevention aims to detect and treat
disease or injury early before it causes significant morbidity or mortality. Examples
include screening tests, pap smears, mammograms, etc. Tertiary prevention aims to
reduce the impact of disease or injury that has already occurred by restoring function
and preventing complications. Examples include rehabilitation, medication adherence,
chronic disease management, etc.
- Answer: primary prevention; secondary prevention; tertiary prevention / primary
prevention: prevent disease or injury before it occurs; secondary prevention: detect
and treat disease or injury early; tertiary prevention: reduce the impact of disease or
injury that has already occurred
3. What are the six steps of the nursing process? Describe the main activities involved
in each step.
- The six steps of the nursing process are: assessment, diagnosis, outcome
identification, planning, implementation, and evaluation. Assessment is the systematic
collection and analysis of data about the patient's health status. Diagnosis is the
identification of actual or potential health problems based on the assessment data.
Outcome identification is the formulation of specific and measurable goals and
expected outcomes for the patient. Planning is the development of a plan of care that
specifies the interventions and strategies to achieve the outcomes. Implementation is
the execution of the plan of care by performing the interventions and documenting the
results. Evaluation is the measurement of the patient's progress toward the outcomes
and the effectiveness of the plan of care.
- Answer: assessment; diagnosis; outcome identification; planning; implementation;
evaluation / assessment: collect and analyze data; diagnosis: identify health problems;
outcome identification: formulate goals and outcomes; planning: develop plan of care;