HESI Health Assessment Final Exam 2026 | 140+
Practice Questions & Answers | Latest Edition
Study Guide
Section 1: Interview & Health History (1-15)
1. In an interview, the nurse may find it necessary to take notes to aid his or her
memory later. Which statement is true regarding note-taking?
A) Note-taking may impede the nurse's observation of the patient's nonverbal behaviors.
B) Note-taking allows the patient to continue at his or her own pace as the nurse records
what is said.
C) Note-taking allows the nurse to shift attention away from the patient, resulting in an
increased comfort level.
D) Note-taking allows the nurse to break eye contact with the patient, which may increase
his or her level of comfort.
Correct Answer: A) Note-taking may impede the nurse's observation of the patient's
nonverbal behaviors.
Rationale: Note-taking during the interview has disadvantages—it breaks eye contact too
often, shifts attention away from the patient, interrupts the patient's narrative flow, and
impedes observation of nonverbal behavior .
2. During an interview, the nurse states, "You mentioned shortness of breath. Tell me
more about that." Which verbal skill is used with this statement?
A) Reflection
B) Facilitation
C) Direct question
D) Open-ended question
Correct Answer: D) Open-ended question
Rationale: Open-ended questions ask for narrative information without specifying what
categories the patient should address. They help elicit the patient's story and perspective .
3. While conducting an interview to obtain a health history, the nurse notices that the
client pauses frequently and looks at the nurse expectantly. Which response is best
for the nurse to provide?
A) Ask the client what else is bothering him or her.
,B) Repeat the last question to prompt a response.
C) Sit quietly to allow the client to respond comfortably.
D) Change the subject to reduce the client's anxiety.
Correct Answer: C) Sit quietly to allow the client to respond comfortably.
Rationale: Silence during an interview allows patients to express emotions and collect their
thoughts. Pauses should be respected rather than filled with additional questions .
4. The nurse is conducting an interview. Which of these statements is true regarding
open-ended questions? (Select all that apply.)
A) They elicit cold facts.
B) They allow for self-expression.
C) They build and enhance rapport.
D) They leave interactions neutral.
Correct Answer: B) They allow for self-expression; C) They build and enhance
rapport; D) They leave interactions neutral.
Rationale: Open-ended questions allow patients to express what they believe is important,
build rapport by showing interest, and leave interactions neutral rather than directive.
Closed-ended questions elicit cold facts .
5. What are the four main steps of the nursing process?
A) Assessment, Analysis, Planning, Implementation, Evaluation
B) Inspection, Palpation, Percussion, Auscultation
C) Subjective, Objective, Assessment, Plan
D) History, Physical, Diagnosis, Treatment
Correct Answer: A) Assessment, Analysis, Planning, Implementation, Evaluation
Rationale: The nursing process is a systematic method including assessment (data
collection), analysis (identifying problems), planning (developing interventions),
implementation (performing interventions), and evaluation (measuring outcomes) .
6. The nurse is conducting a family history as part of the assessment interview.
Which action should the nurse take to ensure that sufficient information about the
client's blood relatives is obtained?
A) Focus only on immediate family members.
B) Ask only about the client's parents and siblings.
C) Document at least 3 generations of the client's family medical history.
D) Limit questions to cardiovascular and cancer history.
,Correct Answer: C) Document at least 3 generations of the client's family medical
history.
Rationale: A comprehensive family history should include at least three generations to
identify hereditary patterns and genetic risks .
7. To obtain a complete health history, what should the nurse include? (Select all that
apply.)
A) Biographical data
B) Chief complaint
C) History of present illness
D) Past medical history
E) Review of systems
Correct Answer: A, B, C, D, E – All of the above
Rationale: A complete health history includes biographical data, chief complaint, history of
present illness, past medical history, family history, and review of systems .
8. What does the acronym OPQRSTU stand for in the History of Present Illness?
A) Onset, Provocation, Quality, Region, Severity, Timing, Understanding
B) Observation, Pain, Quality, Radiation, Site, Treatment, Urgency
C) Onset, Palliation, Questioning, Review, Symptoms, Time, Update
D) Objective, Perception, Query, Radiation, Severity, Tolerance, Unit
Correct Answer: A) Onset, Provocation/Palliation, Quality, Region/Radiation, Severity,
Timing, Understanding
Rationale: OPQRSTU is a mnemonic for gathering comprehensive information about a
symptom: Onset, Provocation/Palliation, Quality, Region/Radiation, Severity, Timing, and
patient Understanding .
9. The nurse is interviewing a patient with a hearing impairment. What techniques
would be most beneficial in communicating with this patient?
A) Determine the communication method he prefers.
B) Avoid facial and hand gestures because most hearing-impaired people find this
degrading.
C) Request a sign language interpreter before meeting with him.
D) Speak loudly and with exaggerated facial movements.
Correct Answer: A) Determine the communication method he prefers.
Rationale: The nurse should ask the deaf person their preferred way to communicate—
signing, lip reading, or writing. If lip reading is preferred, face the patient squarely with good
, lighting. Shouting distorts hearing aid reception, and exaggerated lip movements distort
words .
10. When conducting an interview with a patient who has a language barrier and no
interpreter is available, which question is most appropriate?
A) "Do you take medicine?"
B) "Do you sterilize the bottles?"
C) "Do you have nausea and vomiting?"
D) "You have been taking your medicine, haven't you?"
Correct Answer: A) "Do you take medicine?"
Rationale: When a language barrier exists and no interpreter is available, use simple
words, avoid medical jargon, avoid contractions and pronouns, use nouns repeatedly, and
discuss one topic at a time. Short, simple questions are most effective .
11. Which is the best choice for an interpreter when a female patient does not speak
English well?
A) A trained interpreter
B) A male family member
C) A female family member
D) A volunteer college student from the foreign language studies department
Correct Answer: A) A trained interpreter
Rationale: Whenever possible, the nurse should use a trained interpreter, preferably one
who knows medical terminology. An older, more mature interpreter is preferred to a younger
one, and the same gender is preferred when possible .
12. A client is in the clinic for a routine health examination. The nurse notices the
client appears underweight. Which question is most important for the nurse to ask
when completing the health history of this client?
A) "Have you been trying to lose weight?"
B) "What do you typically eat in a day?"
C) "Have you experienced sudden weight loss?"
D) "Are you happy with your current weight?"
Correct Answer: C) "Have you experienced sudden weight loss?"
Rationale: Sudden or unexplained weight loss can indicate underlying health problems
such as malignancy, thyroid disorders, depression, or gastrointestinal disease. This is a
priority assessment finding .
Practice Questions & Answers | Latest Edition
Study Guide
Section 1: Interview & Health History (1-15)
1. In an interview, the nurse may find it necessary to take notes to aid his or her
memory later. Which statement is true regarding note-taking?
A) Note-taking may impede the nurse's observation of the patient's nonverbal behaviors.
B) Note-taking allows the patient to continue at his or her own pace as the nurse records
what is said.
C) Note-taking allows the nurse to shift attention away from the patient, resulting in an
increased comfort level.
D) Note-taking allows the nurse to break eye contact with the patient, which may increase
his or her level of comfort.
Correct Answer: A) Note-taking may impede the nurse's observation of the patient's
nonverbal behaviors.
Rationale: Note-taking during the interview has disadvantages—it breaks eye contact too
often, shifts attention away from the patient, interrupts the patient's narrative flow, and
impedes observation of nonverbal behavior .
2. During an interview, the nurse states, "You mentioned shortness of breath. Tell me
more about that." Which verbal skill is used with this statement?
A) Reflection
B) Facilitation
C) Direct question
D) Open-ended question
Correct Answer: D) Open-ended question
Rationale: Open-ended questions ask for narrative information without specifying what
categories the patient should address. They help elicit the patient's story and perspective .
3. While conducting an interview to obtain a health history, the nurse notices that the
client pauses frequently and looks at the nurse expectantly. Which response is best
for the nurse to provide?
A) Ask the client what else is bothering him or her.
,B) Repeat the last question to prompt a response.
C) Sit quietly to allow the client to respond comfortably.
D) Change the subject to reduce the client's anxiety.
Correct Answer: C) Sit quietly to allow the client to respond comfortably.
Rationale: Silence during an interview allows patients to express emotions and collect their
thoughts. Pauses should be respected rather than filled with additional questions .
4. The nurse is conducting an interview. Which of these statements is true regarding
open-ended questions? (Select all that apply.)
A) They elicit cold facts.
B) They allow for self-expression.
C) They build and enhance rapport.
D) They leave interactions neutral.
Correct Answer: B) They allow for self-expression; C) They build and enhance
rapport; D) They leave interactions neutral.
Rationale: Open-ended questions allow patients to express what they believe is important,
build rapport by showing interest, and leave interactions neutral rather than directive.
Closed-ended questions elicit cold facts .
5. What are the four main steps of the nursing process?
A) Assessment, Analysis, Planning, Implementation, Evaluation
B) Inspection, Palpation, Percussion, Auscultation
C) Subjective, Objective, Assessment, Plan
D) History, Physical, Diagnosis, Treatment
Correct Answer: A) Assessment, Analysis, Planning, Implementation, Evaluation
Rationale: The nursing process is a systematic method including assessment (data
collection), analysis (identifying problems), planning (developing interventions),
implementation (performing interventions), and evaluation (measuring outcomes) .
6. The nurse is conducting a family history as part of the assessment interview.
Which action should the nurse take to ensure that sufficient information about the
client's blood relatives is obtained?
A) Focus only on immediate family members.
B) Ask only about the client's parents and siblings.
C) Document at least 3 generations of the client's family medical history.
D) Limit questions to cardiovascular and cancer history.
,Correct Answer: C) Document at least 3 generations of the client's family medical
history.
Rationale: A comprehensive family history should include at least three generations to
identify hereditary patterns and genetic risks .
7. To obtain a complete health history, what should the nurse include? (Select all that
apply.)
A) Biographical data
B) Chief complaint
C) History of present illness
D) Past medical history
E) Review of systems
Correct Answer: A, B, C, D, E – All of the above
Rationale: A complete health history includes biographical data, chief complaint, history of
present illness, past medical history, family history, and review of systems .
8. What does the acronym OPQRSTU stand for in the History of Present Illness?
A) Onset, Provocation, Quality, Region, Severity, Timing, Understanding
B) Observation, Pain, Quality, Radiation, Site, Treatment, Urgency
C) Onset, Palliation, Questioning, Review, Symptoms, Time, Update
D) Objective, Perception, Query, Radiation, Severity, Tolerance, Unit
Correct Answer: A) Onset, Provocation/Palliation, Quality, Region/Radiation, Severity,
Timing, Understanding
Rationale: OPQRSTU is a mnemonic for gathering comprehensive information about a
symptom: Onset, Provocation/Palliation, Quality, Region/Radiation, Severity, Timing, and
patient Understanding .
9. The nurse is interviewing a patient with a hearing impairment. What techniques
would be most beneficial in communicating with this patient?
A) Determine the communication method he prefers.
B) Avoid facial and hand gestures because most hearing-impaired people find this
degrading.
C) Request a sign language interpreter before meeting with him.
D) Speak loudly and with exaggerated facial movements.
Correct Answer: A) Determine the communication method he prefers.
Rationale: The nurse should ask the deaf person their preferred way to communicate—
signing, lip reading, or writing. If lip reading is preferred, face the patient squarely with good
, lighting. Shouting distorts hearing aid reception, and exaggerated lip movements distort
words .
10. When conducting an interview with a patient who has a language barrier and no
interpreter is available, which question is most appropriate?
A) "Do you take medicine?"
B) "Do you sterilize the bottles?"
C) "Do you have nausea and vomiting?"
D) "You have been taking your medicine, haven't you?"
Correct Answer: A) "Do you take medicine?"
Rationale: When a language barrier exists and no interpreter is available, use simple
words, avoid medical jargon, avoid contractions and pronouns, use nouns repeatedly, and
discuss one topic at a time. Short, simple questions are most effective .
11. Which is the best choice for an interpreter when a female patient does not speak
English well?
A) A trained interpreter
B) A male family member
C) A female family member
D) A volunteer college student from the foreign language studies department
Correct Answer: A) A trained interpreter
Rationale: Whenever possible, the nurse should use a trained interpreter, preferably one
who knows medical terminology. An older, more mature interpreter is preferred to a younger
one, and the same gender is preferred when possible .
12. A client is in the clinic for a routine health examination. The nurse notices the
client appears underweight. Which question is most important for the nurse to ask
when completing the health history of this client?
A) "Have you been trying to lose weight?"
B) "What do you typically eat in a day?"
C) "Have you experienced sudden weight loss?"
D) "Are you happy with your current weight?"
Correct Answer: C) "Have you experienced sudden weight loss?"
Rationale: Sudden or unexplained weight loss can indicate underlying health problems
such as malignancy, thyroid disorders, depression, or gastrointestinal disease. This is a
priority assessment finding .
