NUR 2115 FUNDAMENTALS OF NURSING EXAM 1
STUDY GUIDE VERSION 1
Fundamentals of Nursing
Study Guide Exam 1
Know the different types of wellness:
Wellness: an active state of being healthy, including living a lifestyle that
promotes good physical, mental, and emotional health.
Physical Dimension: The physical dimension includes genetic
inheritance, age, developmental level, race, and gender. These
components strongly influence the person’s health status and health
practices.
Emotional Dimension: How the mind affects body functions and
responds to body conditions also influences health. Long-term stress
affects body systems, and anxiety affects health habits; conversely,
calm acceptance and relaxation can actually change the body’s
responses to illness.
Intellectual Dimension: The intellectual dimension encompasses
cognitive abilities, educational background, and past experiences.
These influence the person’s responses to teaching about health and
reactions to nursing care during illness.
Environmental Dimension: The environment has many influences
on health and ill- ness. Housing, sanitation, climate, and pollution of
air, food, and water are elements in the environmental dimension.
Sociocultural Dimension: Health practices and beliefs are strongly
influenced by a per- son’s economic level, lifestyle, family, and
culture. In general, low-income groups, racial and ethnic minorities,
and other underserved populations are less likely to seek medical care
to prevent illness and have fewer treatment options, while high-
income groups are more prone to stress-related habits and illness.
Spiritual Dimension: Spiritual beliefs and values are important
components of a person’s health and illness behaviors (see Chapter
45). It is important that nurses respect these values and understand
their importance for the individual patient.
o Three spiritual needs underlie all religious traditions and are
common to all people:
1. Need for meaning and purpose
2. Need for love and relatedness
, 3. Need for forgiveness
Know the definition of culture and what it means in healthcare:
Culture: a shared system of beliefs, values, and behavioral expectations that
provides social structure for daily living. Culture influences roles and
interactions with others as well as within families and communities, and is
apparent in the attitudes and institutions unique to particular groups.
Culture in Healthcare: Nurses must be aware of, and sensitive to, the needs
of a diverse patient population.
Physiological variation: Studies have shown that certain racial and
ethnic groups are more prone to certain diseases and conditions.
Reactions to pain: Health care researchers have discovered that many
of the expressions and behaviors exhibited by people in pain are
culturally prescribed. Some cultures allow or even encourage the open
expression of emotions related to pain, whereas other cultures
encourage suppression of such emotions.
Mental Health: Most mental health norms originate in research and
observations made of White, middle-class people. But many ethnic
, groups have their own norms and acceptable patterns of behavior for
psychological well-being, as well as different normal psychological
reactions to certain situations.
Gender roles: In many cultures, the man is the dominant figure and
generally makes decisions for all family members. Knowing who is
dominant in the family is important when planning nursing care.
Language and Communication: Linguistic competence refers to the
ability of caregivers and organizations to understand and effectively
respond to the linguistic needs of patients and their families in a health
care encounter.
o Nurses who work in a geographic area with a high popu- lation
of residents who speak a language other than English should
learn pertinent words and phrases in that language.
o To avoid misinterpretation of questions and answers, it is
important to use an interpreter who understands the health care
system; friends and family members often discouraged.
o One of the most culturally variable forms of nonverbal
communication is eye contact.
American dominant culture emphasizes eye contact while
speaking,
Direct eye contact may be considered impolite or
aggressive by many Asians, Native Americans,
Indochinese, Arabs, and Appalachians.
Hispanics may look downward in deference to age,
gender, social position, economic status, or authority.
Muslim–Arab women often indicate modesty by
avoiding eye contact with men, and Hasidic Jewish men
may avoid direct eye contact with women
Orientation to Space and Time: Personal space is the area around a
person regarded as part of the person. When providing nursing care
that involves physical contact, you should know the patient’s cultural
personal space preferences.
Food and Nutrition: Food preferences and preparation methods often
are culturally influenced. Certain food groups serve as staples of the
diet based on culture and remain so even when members of that
culture are living in a different country.
o Dietary teaching must be individualized according to cultural
values about the social significance and sharing of food.
STUDY GUIDE VERSION 1
Fundamentals of Nursing
Study Guide Exam 1
Know the different types of wellness:
Wellness: an active state of being healthy, including living a lifestyle that
promotes good physical, mental, and emotional health.
Physical Dimension: The physical dimension includes genetic
inheritance, age, developmental level, race, and gender. These
components strongly influence the person’s health status and health
practices.
Emotional Dimension: How the mind affects body functions and
responds to body conditions also influences health. Long-term stress
affects body systems, and anxiety affects health habits; conversely,
calm acceptance and relaxation can actually change the body’s
responses to illness.
Intellectual Dimension: The intellectual dimension encompasses
cognitive abilities, educational background, and past experiences.
These influence the person’s responses to teaching about health and
reactions to nursing care during illness.
Environmental Dimension: The environment has many influences
on health and ill- ness. Housing, sanitation, climate, and pollution of
air, food, and water are elements in the environmental dimension.
Sociocultural Dimension: Health practices and beliefs are strongly
influenced by a per- son’s economic level, lifestyle, family, and
culture. In general, low-income groups, racial and ethnic minorities,
and other underserved populations are less likely to seek medical care
to prevent illness and have fewer treatment options, while high-
income groups are more prone to stress-related habits and illness.
Spiritual Dimension: Spiritual beliefs and values are important
components of a person’s health and illness behaviors (see Chapter
45). It is important that nurses respect these values and understand
their importance for the individual patient.
o Three spiritual needs underlie all religious traditions and are
common to all people:
1. Need for meaning and purpose
2. Need for love and relatedness
, 3. Need for forgiveness
Know the definition of culture and what it means in healthcare:
Culture: a shared system of beliefs, values, and behavioral expectations that
provides social structure for daily living. Culture influences roles and
interactions with others as well as within families and communities, and is
apparent in the attitudes and institutions unique to particular groups.
Culture in Healthcare: Nurses must be aware of, and sensitive to, the needs
of a diverse patient population.
Physiological variation: Studies have shown that certain racial and
ethnic groups are more prone to certain diseases and conditions.
Reactions to pain: Health care researchers have discovered that many
of the expressions and behaviors exhibited by people in pain are
culturally prescribed. Some cultures allow or even encourage the open
expression of emotions related to pain, whereas other cultures
encourage suppression of such emotions.
Mental Health: Most mental health norms originate in research and
observations made of White, middle-class people. But many ethnic
, groups have their own norms and acceptable patterns of behavior for
psychological well-being, as well as different normal psychological
reactions to certain situations.
Gender roles: In many cultures, the man is the dominant figure and
generally makes decisions for all family members. Knowing who is
dominant in the family is important when planning nursing care.
Language and Communication: Linguistic competence refers to the
ability of caregivers and organizations to understand and effectively
respond to the linguistic needs of patients and their families in a health
care encounter.
o Nurses who work in a geographic area with a high popu- lation
of residents who speak a language other than English should
learn pertinent words and phrases in that language.
o To avoid misinterpretation of questions and answers, it is
important to use an interpreter who understands the health care
system; friends and family members often discouraged.
o One of the most culturally variable forms of nonverbal
communication is eye contact.
American dominant culture emphasizes eye contact while
speaking,
Direct eye contact may be considered impolite or
aggressive by many Asians, Native Americans,
Indochinese, Arabs, and Appalachians.
Hispanics may look downward in deference to age,
gender, social position, economic status, or authority.
Muslim–Arab women often indicate modesty by
avoiding eye contact with men, and Hasidic Jewish men
may avoid direct eye contact with women
Orientation to Space and Time: Personal space is the area around a
person regarded as part of the person. When providing nursing care
that involves physical contact, you should know the patient’s cultural
personal space preferences.
Food and Nutrition: Food preferences and preparation methods often
are culturally influenced. Certain food groups serve as staples of the
diet based on culture and remain so even when members of that
culture are living in a different country.
o Dietary teaching must be individualized according to cultural
values about the social significance and sharing of food.
