WGU D443 Health Assessment Objective Assessment (OA)
Study Guide: 200 Comprehensive Practice Questions, Multi-
System Clinical Rationales, and Evidence-Based Physical Exam
Solutions Bundle (Latest Edition)
SECTION A: ASSESSMENT TECHNIQUES, GENERAL SURVEY & INTERVIEWING
1. A nurse is preparing to conduct a health history interview with a patient who
speaks limited English. What is the most appropriate action to ensure accurate
communication?
A) Speak slowly and loudly to the patient
B) Use a family member as an interpreter
C) Arrange for a certified medical interpreter
D) Skip the verbal history and proceed with the physical exam
Answer: C) Arrange for a certified medical interpreter
Rationale: A certified medical interpreter ensures accurate, confidential
communication and complies with legal and ethical standards. Family members
may filter information, omit details, or breach privacy. Speaking slowly or loudly
does not improve understanding, and skipping the verbal history would result in
incomplete data collection .
2. Which assessment technique should the nurse use first during a physical
examination?
A) Palpation
B) Percussion
C) Auscultation
D) Inspection
Answer: D) Inspection
Rationale: Inspection is the first assessment technique used in a physical
examination. It begins the moment the nurse meets the patient and continues
throughout the exam, assessing general appearance, symmetry, and movement.
,Palpation, percussion, and auscultation follow after inspection to ensure no
obvious findings are overlooked before hands-on techniques are applied .
3. During a health history interview, a patient states they have been
experiencing throbbing headaches for three weeks. Which type of data does this
information represent?
A) Objective data
B) Subjective data
C) Secondary data
D) Constant data
Answer: B) Subjective data
Rationale: Subjective data are reported by the client and cannot be directly
measured or observed. The patient's description of their headache experience is
subjective information. Objective data are measurable and observable by the
examiner .
4. During a general survey, the nurse notes that the patient appears cachectic.
This finding suggests which condition?
A) Fluid overload
B) Cushing's syndrome
C) Severe malnutrition or chronic disease
D) Early hypertension
Answer: C) Severe malnutrition or chronic disease
Rationale: Cachexia is a wasting syndrome characterized by significant weight
loss, muscle atrophy, and weakness. It is most often caused by severe
malnutrition, cancer, chronic heart failure, or advanced HIV/AIDS. It is not
associated with fluid overload, Cushing's syndrome, or early hypertension .
5. The nurse is assessing a patient's general appearance. Which finding would be
considered abnormal?
,A) Alert and oriented to person, place, and time
B) Slouched posture with poor eye contact
C) Appropriate affect for the situation
D) Well-groomed and appropriately dressed
Answer: B) Slouched posture with poor eye contact
Rationale: General appearance includes posture, eye contact, grooming, and
affect. Slouched posture with poor eye contact may indicate depression, anxiety,
or fatigue. Good posture, appropriate eye contact, appropriate grooming, and
appropriate affect are normal findings .
6. Which component is included in a comprehensive health history?
A) Biographical data
B) Chief complaint
C) History of present illness
D) All of the above
Answer: D) All of the above
Rationale: A comprehensive health history includes biographical data, chief
complaint, history of present illness, past medical history, family history, social
history, review of systems, and functional assessment. All components are
essential for complete patient evaluation .
7. Which part of the health history includes the patient's response to a specific
symptom?
A) Chief complaint
B) History of present illness
C) Review of systems
D) Past medical history
Answer: B) History of present illness
Rationale: The history of present illness (HPI) describes the patient's response to
a specific symptom, including onset, location, duration, characteristics,
, aggravating and relieving factors, and associated symptoms. It provides detailed
information about the current health problem .
8. When asking about a patient's family history, the nurse should include
information about:
A) Only immediate family members
B) Only grandparents
C) First-degree relatives only
D) Medical conditions of immediate and extended family
Answer: D) Medical conditions of immediate and extended family
Rationale: Family history should include information about immediate family
members (parents, siblings, children) as well as extended family (grandparents,
aunts, uncles). This helps identify genetic and familial risk factors for disease .
9. A patient reports a family history of breast cancer. The nurse should:
A) Document the finding and move on
B) Ask about the age of diagnosis and relationship
C) Tell the patient not to worry
D) Recommend immediate genetic testing
Answer: B) Ask about the age of diagnosis and relationship
Rationale: When a patient reports a family history of a condition, the nurse
should gather additional details including which relative was affected, age at
diagnosis, and any other relevant information. This helps assess genetic risk and
guide appropriate interventions .
10. The nurse is assessing a patient's social history. Which information should
be included?
A) Marital status and living situation
B) Tobacco and alcohol use
Study Guide: 200 Comprehensive Practice Questions, Multi-
System Clinical Rationales, and Evidence-Based Physical Exam
Solutions Bundle (Latest Edition)
SECTION A: ASSESSMENT TECHNIQUES, GENERAL SURVEY & INTERVIEWING
1. A nurse is preparing to conduct a health history interview with a patient who
speaks limited English. What is the most appropriate action to ensure accurate
communication?
A) Speak slowly and loudly to the patient
B) Use a family member as an interpreter
C) Arrange for a certified medical interpreter
D) Skip the verbal history and proceed with the physical exam
Answer: C) Arrange for a certified medical interpreter
Rationale: A certified medical interpreter ensures accurate, confidential
communication and complies with legal and ethical standards. Family members
may filter information, omit details, or breach privacy. Speaking slowly or loudly
does not improve understanding, and skipping the verbal history would result in
incomplete data collection .
2. Which assessment technique should the nurse use first during a physical
examination?
A) Palpation
B) Percussion
C) Auscultation
D) Inspection
Answer: D) Inspection
Rationale: Inspection is the first assessment technique used in a physical
examination. It begins the moment the nurse meets the patient and continues
throughout the exam, assessing general appearance, symmetry, and movement.
,Palpation, percussion, and auscultation follow after inspection to ensure no
obvious findings are overlooked before hands-on techniques are applied .
3. During a health history interview, a patient states they have been
experiencing throbbing headaches for three weeks. Which type of data does this
information represent?
A) Objective data
B) Subjective data
C) Secondary data
D) Constant data
Answer: B) Subjective data
Rationale: Subjective data are reported by the client and cannot be directly
measured or observed. The patient's description of their headache experience is
subjective information. Objective data are measurable and observable by the
examiner .
4. During a general survey, the nurse notes that the patient appears cachectic.
This finding suggests which condition?
A) Fluid overload
B) Cushing's syndrome
C) Severe malnutrition or chronic disease
D) Early hypertension
Answer: C) Severe malnutrition or chronic disease
Rationale: Cachexia is a wasting syndrome characterized by significant weight
loss, muscle atrophy, and weakness. It is most often caused by severe
malnutrition, cancer, chronic heart failure, or advanced HIV/AIDS. It is not
associated with fluid overload, Cushing's syndrome, or early hypertension .
5. The nurse is assessing a patient's general appearance. Which finding would be
considered abnormal?
,A) Alert and oriented to person, place, and time
B) Slouched posture with poor eye contact
C) Appropriate affect for the situation
D) Well-groomed and appropriately dressed
Answer: B) Slouched posture with poor eye contact
Rationale: General appearance includes posture, eye contact, grooming, and
affect. Slouched posture with poor eye contact may indicate depression, anxiety,
or fatigue. Good posture, appropriate eye contact, appropriate grooming, and
appropriate affect are normal findings .
6. Which component is included in a comprehensive health history?
A) Biographical data
B) Chief complaint
C) History of present illness
D) All of the above
Answer: D) All of the above
Rationale: A comprehensive health history includes biographical data, chief
complaint, history of present illness, past medical history, family history, social
history, review of systems, and functional assessment. All components are
essential for complete patient evaluation .
7. Which part of the health history includes the patient's response to a specific
symptom?
A) Chief complaint
B) History of present illness
C) Review of systems
D) Past medical history
Answer: B) History of present illness
Rationale: The history of present illness (HPI) describes the patient's response to
a specific symptom, including onset, location, duration, characteristics,
, aggravating and relieving factors, and associated symptoms. It provides detailed
information about the current health problem .
8. When asking about a patient's family history, the nurse should include
information about:
A) Only immediate family members
B) Only grandparents
C) First-degree relatives only
D) Medical conditions of immediate and extended family
Answer: D) Medical conditions of immediate and extended family
Rationale: Family history should include information about immediate family
members (parents, siblings, children) as well as extended family (grandparents,
aunts, uncles). This helps identify genetic and familial risk factors for disease .
9. A patient reports a family history of breast cancer. The nurse should:
A) Document the finding and move on
B) Ask about the age of diagnosis and relationship
C) Tell the patient not to worry
D) Recommend immediate genetic testing
Answer: B) Ask about the age of diagnosis and relationship
Rationale: When a patient reports a family history of a condition, the nurse
should gather additional details including which relative was affected, age at
diagnosis, and any other relevant information. This helps assess genetic risk and
guide appropriate interventions .
10. The nurse is assessing a patient's social history. Which information should
be included?
A) Marital status and living situation
B) Tobacco and alcohol use
