Patient Care, 8th Edition by Arlene M. Adler, Richard R. Carlton &
Kori L. Stewart | Complete Chapter 1-26 | Latest Edition.
Chapter 12: History Taking Adler: Introduction to Radiologic and Imaging Sciences
and Patient Care, 8th Edition
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. When taking a patient history, it is important to
a. remain impersonal and show little emotion or empathy toward the patient.
b. consistently call the patient by his or her first name to establish patient rapport.
c. maintain a polite and professional demeanor when gathering information.
d. make a mental note of the patient’s mannerisms to share with the radiologist.
ANS: C
Because history taking is one of the most critical and valuable diagnostic tools, possessing
good history-taking skills is an essential responsibility of the radiologic and imaging
sciences professional and requires a polite and professional demeanor during the interview.
REF: p. 157
2. In preparing to radiograph a patient who has come to the medical imaging department with a
complaint of abdominal pain, you begin to question the patient as part of the history. A good
initial question to ask the patient would be
a. “Can you rate the pain on a scale from one to five?”
b. “Can you tell me about the nature of your pain?”
c. “Your request states that you have stomach pain, is that correct?”
d. “Does anyone in your family have similar pain?”
ANS: B
All histories should begin with open-ended questions to encourage the patient’s spontaneous
associations about the clinical problem. The use of leading questions should be avoided
whenever possible because they introduce biases into the history.
, REF: p. 158
3. An important piece of information regarding a patient’s need for medical care is sought by
physicians and medical professionals. Many times, patients are vague about their pain or reason
for seeing the doctor. It is important to discover the patient’s _____ for seeking medical care. a.
chief complaint
b. pain threshold
c. tolerance
d. primary reason
ANS: A
Physicians attempt to determine the patient’s chief complaint. This effort is valuable because
it focuses the history toward the single most important issue. In many instances, the chief
complaint is directly related to the first symptom that is discussed.
REF: p. 158
4. Objective data regarding a patient’s history
a. are more important than subjective data.
b. deal with a patient’s feelings.
c. consist of a patient’s vital signs.
d. are an effective way to explain the patient’s pain level.
ANS: C
Objective data are perceptible to the senses, such as signs that can be seen, heard, or felt and
such things as laboratory reports. Many objective signs are physiologic measurements such
as temperature, pulse, respiration, and blood pressure.
REF: p. 157
5. When asking about a patient’s pain, it is effective to
a. identify the three (3) most common areas for patient pain.
b. assure the patient that questions about pain are required and standard questions.
c. ask the patient if pain is in the abdomen.
d. ask the patient to point to or touch the area that hurts and record the information.
, ANS: D
Localization is defining as exact and precise an area as possible for the patient’s complaint.
Two types of touch that the radiologic and imaging sciences professional commonly uses in
gathering a clinical history are (1) touching for emphasis and (2) touching for palpation.
Touching for emphasis involves using touch to highlight or to specify instructions or specify
locations. A history can be clarified by a light touch to specify the region.
REF: pp. 158-159
6. When questioning patients to obtain an accurate patient history,
a. keep your questions general in nature so as not to offend the patient.
b. start with open-ended questions and then follow up with more direct inquiries.
c. do not let the patient talk too much in order to keep the examination moving.
d. use short questions that are specific to their suspected medical condition.
ANS: B
All histories should begin with open-ended questions to encourage the patient’s spontaneous
associations about the clinical problem. Answers to these questions can often enable more
direct, probing questions for clarification and precision.
REF: p. 158
7. Good history taking involves the collection of objective and subjective data. All of the
following are examples of subjective data except the patient’s a. emotions. b. respiratory rate.
c. speech pattern.
d. ability to follow your instructions.
ANS: B
Objective data are perceptible to the senses, such as signs that can be seen, heard, or felt and
such things as laboratory reports. Subjective data pertain to or are perceived by the affected
individual only. Respiratory rate is a physiologic measurement and considered objective
data.
REF: p. 157
8. It would be inappropriate to
, a. repeat the patient’s comments regarding the symptoms to keep the examination time
short.
b. call the patient by his or her surname (preceded by Mr., Ms., or Mrs.) to establish a
professional image.
c. ask the patient leading questions regarding his or her symptoms.
d. describe the patient’s symptoms to the radiologist in precise medical terms.
ANS: C
The use of leading questions should be avoided whenever possible because they introduce
biases into the history.
REF: p. 158
9. As a patient begins to explain their reasons for coming to the clinic for a radiographic
examination, they begin to use medical terms to describe conditions. The information
appears to be accurate medically and helps clarify their symptoms. To deal with this patient,
you should
a. politely listen, record their comments, and repeat the statements to clarify.
b. ask about their apparent medical background and tell the radiologist.
c. begin the procedure as it is safe to assume they know what they’re talking about.
d. disregard the information and record your impressions of hidden symptoms.
ANS: A
The ability to assess the patient’s background can be a difficult skill to develop. Probably the
most helpful technique is to begin with a question that provides an opportunity for the
patient to respond in a manner that reflects his or her life experience and educational
background.
REF: p. 158
10. In the process of questioning a patient about the reason for having the requested X-ray
examination, the patient becomes irritated and complains that she “is getting pretty tired of
saying the same things over and over to all these nurses.” An effective method to deal with this
patient’s attitude would be to
a. allow the patient to sign a statement declining to answer questions.
b. ask the patient what pieces of information others have learned.
c. limit the questioning to simple “Yes or No” answers.
d. explain that each person is asking questions specific to their patient care task.