South University
,1. For which of the following patients would a comprehensive health history be
appropriate?
A) A new patient with the chief complaint of "I sprained my ankle"
B) An established patient with the chief complaint of "I have an upper respiratory
infection"
C) A new patient with the chief complaint of "I am here to establish care"
D) A new patient with the chief complaint of "I cut my hand"
Feedback: This patient is here to establish care, and because she is new to you, a
comprehensive health history is appropriate.
2. The components of the health history include all of the following except
which one?
A) Review of systems
B) Thorax and lungs
C) Present illness
D) Personal and social items
Feedback: The thorax and lungs are part of the physical examination, not part of
the health history. The other answers are all part of a complete health history.
3. Is the following information subjective or objective?
"Mr. M. has shortness of breath that has persisted for the past 10 days; it is worse
with activity and relieved by rest."
A) Subjective
B) Objective
, Feedback: This is information given by the patient about the circumstances of his
chief complaint. It does not represent an objective observation by the examiner.
4. Is the following information subjective or objective?
"Mr. M. has a respiratory rate of 32 and a pulse rate of 120."
A) Subjective
B) Objective
Feedback: This is a measurement obtained by the examiner, so it is considered
objective data. The patient is unlikely to be able to give this information to the
examiner.
5. The following information is recorded in the health history: "The patient has
had abdominal pain for 1 week. The pain lasts for 30 minutes at a time; it comes
and goes. The severity is 7 to 9 on a scale of 1 to 10. It is accompanied by nausea
and vomiting. It is located in the mid-epigastric area." Which category does it
belong to?
A) Chief complaint
B) Present illness
C) Personal and social history
D) Review of systems
Feedback: This information describes the problem of abdominal pain, which is the
present illness. The interviewer has obtained the location, timing, severity, and
associated manifestations of the pain. The interviewer will still need to obtain
information concerning the quality of the pain, the setting in which it occurred,
and the factors that aggravate and alleviate the pain. You will notice that it does
include portions of the pertinent review of systems, but because it relates directly
to the complaint, it is included in the history of present illness.