BATES GUIDE TO PHYSICAL EXAMINATION
AND HISTORY TAKING 13 2026 CLINICAL
SKILLS WORKBOOK SOLVED QUESTIONS
COMPILATION
◉ Subjective Data.
Answer: What the patients tells you
The health history
Ex: I had pneumonia two years ago
Ex: My pain feels like an elephant sitting on my chest
◉ Objective Data.
Answer: What your findings include/what you observe
All physical exam findings
Ex) Vital signs, labs, heart sounds
◉ Review of systems.
,Answer: Do NOT include objective data
Subjective data only
Ex: Reports decrease in appetite
◉ Standard Precautions.
Answer: Hand hygiene, respiratory hygiene, patient isolation
criteria, laundry handling, precautions r/t equipment, and safe-
needle injection practices
◉ Universal Precautions.
Answer: Guidelines to prevent transmission of HIV, Hep B, and other
blood-borne pathogens (also includes bodily fluids such as semen,
vaginal secretions, CSF, synovial fluid, pleural, peritoneal,
pericardial, and amniotic fluid)
Includes needle-safety
◉ Physical Exam.
Answer: Objective data ONLY!
◉ Mental Status Exam.
,Answer: It is a structured way of observing and describing a
patient's psychological functioning at a given point in time, under
the domains of appearance, attitude, behavior, mood and affect,
speech, thought process, thought content, perception, cognition,
insight and judgment.
◉ Partnering.
Answer: When building rapport with patients, express your
commitment to an ongoing relationship. Make patients feel that no
matter what happens, you will continue to provide their care.
◉ Empathetic responses.
Answer: Your capacity to identify with the patient and feel the
patient's pain as your own
To express empathy, you must first recognize the patient's feelings,
then actively move toward and elicit emotional content.
For a response to be empathetic, you must convey that you feel what
the patient is feeling.
◉ Echoing.
Answer: Simply repeating the patient's last words to encourage the
patient to elaborate on details/feelings
, ◉ Example of validating a patient's feelings.
Answer: "Your accident must have been very scary, car accidents are
so unsettling because they remind us how vulnerable we are. Maybe
that explains why you are so upset."
This validates the patient's response as legitimate and
understandable.
◉ Exploring the patient's perspective using F-I-F-E.
Answer: FEELINGS- including fears & concerns about the problem
- "What concerns you most about the pain?"
IDEAS- about the nature and cause of the problem
FUNCTION- the effects the problem has on the patient's life and
functionality
- "What did you do before that you can't do now?"
- "How does this illness affect your role as a parent?" Etc.
EXPECTATIONS- of the disease, of the clinician, or of health care,
often based on prior personal/family experiences
- "How can I help you?"
◉ Mnemonic for responding to emotional cues = NURSE.
Answer: Name- that sounds like a scary experience
AND HISTORY TAKING 13 2026 CLINICAL
SKILLS WORKBOOK SOLVED QUESTIONS
COMPILATION
◉ Subjective Data.
Answer: What the patients tells you
The health history
Ex: I had pneumonia two years ago
Ex: My pain feels like an elephant sitting on my chest
◉ Objective Data.
Answer: What your findings include/what you observe
All physical exam findings
Ex) Vital signs, labs, heart sounds
◉ Review of systems.
,Answer: Do NOT include objective data
Subjective data only
Ex: Reports decrease in appetite
◉ Standard Precautions.
Answer: Hand hygiene, respiratory hygiene, patient isolation
criteria, laundry handling, precautions r/t equipment, and safe-
needle injection practices
◉ Universal Precautions.
Answer: Guidelines to prevent transmission of HIV, Hep B, and other
blood-borne pathogens (also includes bodily fluids such as semen,
vaginal secretions, CSF, synovial fluid, pleural, peritoneal,
pericardial, and amniotic fluid)
Includes needle-safety
◉ Physical Exam.
Answer: Objective data ONLY!
◉ Mental Status Exam.
,Answer: It is a structured way of observing and describing a
patient's psychological functioning at a given point in time, under
the domains of appearance, attitude, behavior, mood and affect,
speech, thought process, thought content, perception, cognition,
insight and judgment.
◉ Partnering.
Answer: When building rapport with patients, express your
commitment to an ongoing relationship. Make patients feel that no
matter what happens, you will continue to provide their care.
◉ Empathetic responses.
Answer: Your capacity to identify with the patient and feel the
patient's pain as your own
To express empathy, you must first recognize the patient's feelings,
then actively move toward and elicit emotional content.
For a response to be empathetic, you must convey that you feel what
the patient is feeling.
◉ Echoing.
Answer: Simply repeating the patient's last words to encourage the
patient to elaborate on details/feelings
, ◉ Example of validating a patient's feelings.
Answer: "Your accident must have been very scary, car accidents are
so unsettling because they remind us how vulnerable we are. Maybe
that explains why you are so upset."
This validates the patient's response as legitimate and
understandable.
◉ Exploring the patient's perspective using F-I-F-E.
Answer: FEELINGS- including fears & concerns about the problem
- "What concerns you most about the pain?"
IDEAS- about the nature and cause of the problem
FUNCTION- the effects the problem has on the patient's life and
functionality
- "What did you do before that you can't do now?"
- "How does this illness affect your role as a parent?" Etc.
EXPECTATIONS- of the disease, of the clinician, or of health care,
often based on prior personal/family experiences
- "How can I help you?"
◉ Mnemonic for responding to emotional cues = NURSE.
Answer: Name- that sounds like a scary experience
