NUR 172 Block 2 Psych Exam 1 (MCC) 319
Q&A/ Already Graded A+.
What is the purpose of a psychosocial assessment? - Answer: -Clinical baseline data
-A full picture of the patient's current emotional state, mental capacity, and behavioral function
-Basis for developing plan of care
Factors influencing psych assessment - Answer: - patient participation/ feedback
- client's health status
- client's previous experiences/ misconceptions about health care
- client's ability to understand
- nurse's attitude, approach
During a patient interview, what should you make sure to do when asking questions? - Answer:
- ask open-ended questions to initiate the assessment
,- ask focused questions if patient has trouble organizing thoughts or has difficulty answering
open-ended questions
Where should you hold the interview with the patient? - Answer: Make sure the environment is
comfortable, private, safe
- make sure the area is quite with few distractions
Why is it a good idea to interview the patient's family? - Answer: They can give you insight on
their interactions
- we want to know, with the patient's permission, what the family and friends' perceptions
about the patient are
What do you assess for in a patient? - Answer: History
- Age
- Developmental Stage
- Cultural considerations
- Spiritual beliefs
- Previous history
What are some cultural considerations to assess for? - Answer: - what culture so they come
from?
- Any foods they do not eat?
- Any religious practices?
* Use theses to know how to approach the situation to establish trust with the patient
Why is it important to know about the patient's spiritual beliefs? - Answer: - always document
what you find out from the patient
- the patients spiritual beliefs could play into their mental issues
- may be the cause of the conflict or be the support the patient may require
,Why do we need to know past history of the patient? - Answer: - has the patient been to a
facility before?
- has the patient presented with these symptoms before?
- what is the patient's baseline?
- with the permission of the patient talk with family about the patient's baseline, previous
behavior and current behavior
Psycho-social Assessment components - Answer:
Other assessment content - Answer: Look for appearance/ motor behavior such as
- hygiene/ grooming (are they just homeless?, phobia?)
- Appropriate dress for age, weather, culture, environment
- Posture (physical ailment, self-esteem - are they hunched)
- Eye contact
- Unusual movements. mannerisms (automatism, psychomotor retardation, waxy flexibility)
- Speech difficulties or differences (neologisms)
Automatisms - Answer: Repeated purposeless behaviors often indicative of anxiety, such as
drumming fingers, twisting locks of hair, or tapping the foot
Psychomotor retardation - Answer: Overall slowed movements
Waxy flexibility - Answer: Maintenance of posture or position over time even when it is
awkward or uncomfortable
Neologisms - Answer: Invented words that have meaning only for the person who created it;
usually the client
, What thought process/ content do we assess for in the client? - Answer: Clarity of ideas
Self-harm or suicide urges
Homicidal and or thoughts to harm others
What does SI stand for? - Answer: Suicidal ideations
What does HI stand for? - Answer: Homicidal ideations
What is Duty to warn? - Answer: This is enacted when you are assessing a patient for HI.
- When a client makes specific threats or has a plane to harm another person, healthcare
providers are legally obligated to warn the person who is the target of the threats or plan. This is
one situation in which the nurse must break the client's confidentiality to protect the
threatened person.
What are hallucinations? - Answer: Sensory impressions without external stimuli
What are Illusions? - Answer: Real stimuli misinterpreted
What are delusions? - Answer: fixed false beliefs
What is judgment (interpretation of environment)? - Answer: Judgment refers to the ability to
interpret one's environment and situation correctly and to adapt one's behavior and decisions
accordingly
What does it mean if a patient has impaired judgment? - Answer: Problems with judgment may
be evidenced as the client describes recent behavior and activities that reflect a lack of
reasonable care for self or others. For example, the client may spend large sums of money on
frivolous items when he or she cannot afford basic necessities such as food or clothing.
- Decision making ability is important for the patient's safety.
Q&A/ Already Graded A+.
What is the purpose of a psychosocial assessment? - Answer: -Clinical baseline data
-A full picture of the patient's current emotional state, mental capacity, and behavioral function
-Basis for developing plan of care
Factors influencing psych assessment - Answer: - patient participation/ feedback
- client's health status
- client's previous experiences/ misconceptions about health care
- client's ability to understand
- nurse's attitude, approach
During a patient interview, what should you make sure to do when asking questions? - Answer:
- ask open-ended questions to initiate the assessment
,- ask focused questions if patient has trouble organizing thoughts or has difficulty answering
open-ended questions
Where should you hold the interview with the patient? - Answer: Make sure the environment is
comfortable, private, safe
- make sure the area is quite with few distractions
Why is it a good idea to interview the patient's family? - Answer: They can give you insight on
their interactions
- we want to know, with the patient's permission, what the family and friends' perceptions
about the patient are
What do you assess for in a patient? - Answer: History
- Age
- Developmental Stage
- Cultural considerations
- Spiritual beliefs
- Previous history
What are some cultural considerations to assess for? - Answer: - what culture so they come
from?
- Any foods they do not eat?
- Any religious practices?
* Use theses to know how to approach the situation to establish trust with the patient
Why is it important to know about the patient's spiritual beliefs? - Answer: - always document
what you find out from the patient
- the patients spiritual beliefs could play into their mental issues
- may be the cause of the conflict or be the support the patient may require
,Why do we need to know past history of the patient? - Answer: - has the patient been to a
facility before?
- has the patient presented with these symptoms before?
- what is the patient's baseline?
- with the permission of the patient talk with family about the patient's baseline, previous
behavior and current behavior
Psycho-social Assessment components - Answer:
Other assessment content - Answer: Look for appearance/ motor behavior such as
- hygiene/ grooming (are they just homeless?, phobia?)
- Appropriate dress for age, weather, culture, environment
- Posture (physical ailment, self-esteem - are they hunched)
- Eye contact
- Unusual movements. mannerisms (automatism, psychomotor retardation, waxy flexibility)
- Speech difficulties or differences (neologisms)
Automatisms - Answer: Repeated purposeless behaviors often indicative of anxiety, such as
drumming fingers, twisting locks of hair, or tapping the foot
Psychomotor retardation - Answer: Overall slowed movements
Waxy flexibility - Answer: Maintenance of posture or position over time even when it is
awkward or uncomfortable
Neologisms - Answer: Invented words that have meaning only for the person who created it;
usually the client
, What thought process/ content do we assess for in the client? - Answer: Clarity of ideas
Self-harm or suicide urges
Homicidal and or thoughts to harm others
What does SI stand for? - Answer: Suicidal ideations
What does HI stand for? - Answer: Homicidal ideations
What is Duty to warn? - Answer: This is enacted when you are assessing a patient for HI.
- When a client makes specific threats or has a plane to harm another person, healthcare
providers are legally obligated to warn the person who is the target of the threats or plan. This is
one situation in which the nurse must break the client's confidentiality to protect the
threatened person.
What are hallucinations? - Answer: Sensory impressions without external stimuli
What are Illusions? - Answer: Real stimuli misinterpreted
What are delusions? - Answer: fixed false beliefs
What is judgment (interpretation of environment)? - Answer: Judgment refers to the ability to
interpret one's environment and situation correctly and to adapt one's behavior and decisions
accordingly
What does it mean if a patient has impaired judgment? - Answer: Problems with judgment may
be evidenced as the client describes recent behavior and activities that reflect a lack of
reasonable care for self or others. For example, the client may spend large sums of money on
frivolous items when he or she cannot afford basic necessities such as food or clothing.
- Decision making ability is important for the patient's safety.
