HESI Health Assessment Exam 1 2024
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. - A) Note-taking may impede the nurse's
observation of the patient's nonverbal behaviors.
Page: 31 Some use of history forms and note-taking may be unavoidable. But be
aware that note-taking during the interview has disadvantages. It breaks eye contact
too often, and it shifts attention away from the patient, which diminishes his or her
sense of importance. It also may interrupt the patient's narrative flow, and it impedes
the observation of the patient's 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 - D) Open-ended question
Page: 32 The open-ended question asks for narrative information. It states the topic
to be discussed but only in general terms. The nurse should use it to begin the
interview, to introduce a new section of questions, and whenever the person
introduces a new topic.
3. A nurse is taking complete health histories on all of the patients attending a
wellness workshop. On the history form, one of the written questions asks, "You
don't smoke, drink, or take drugs, do you?" This question is an example of:
A) talking too much.
B) using confrontation.
C) using biased or leading questions.
D) using blunt language to deal with distasteful topics. - C) using biased or leading
questions.
,Page: 36 rThis ris ran rexample rof rusing rleading ror rbiased rquestions. rAsking, r"You
rdon't rsmoke, rdo ryou?" rimplies rthat rone ranswer ris r"better" rthan ranother. rIf rthe
rperson rwants rto rplease rsomeone, rhe ror rshe ris reither rforced rto ranswer rin ra rway
rcorresponding rto rtheir rimplied rvalues ror ris rmade rto rfeel rguilty rwhen radmitting rthe
rother ranswer. r
4. rDuring ran rinterview, ra rparent rof ra rhospitalized rchild ris rsitting rin ran ropen
rposition. rAs rthe rinterviewer rbegins rto rdiscuss rhis rson's rtreatment, rhowever, rhe
rsuddenly rcrosses rhis rarms ragainst rhis rchest rand rcrosses rhis rlegs. rThis rwould
rsuggest rthat rthe rparent ris: r
r
A) just rchanging rpositions. r
B) more rcomfortable rin rthis rposition. r
C) tired rand rneeds ra rbreak rfrom rthe rinterview. r
D) uncomfortable rtalking rabout rhis rson's rtreatment. r- rD) runcomfortable rtalking
rabout rhis rson's rtreatment. r
r
Page: r37 rNote rthe rperson's rposition. rAn ropen rposition rwith rthe rextension rof rlarge
rmuscle rgroups rshows rrelaxation, rphysical rcomfort, rand ra rwillingness rto rshare
rinformation. rA rclosed rposition rwith rthe rarms rand rlegs rcrossed rtends rto rlook
rdefensive rand ranxious. rNote rany rchange rin rposture. rIf ra rperson rin ra rrelaxed
rposition rsuddenly rtenses, rit rsuggests rpossible rdiscomfort rwith rthe rnew rtopic. r
r
5. rThe rnurse ris rinterviewing ra rpatient rwho rhas ra rhearing rimpairment.
rWhat r
techniques rwould rbe rmost rbeneficial rin rcommunicating rwith rthis r
rpatient?
r
A) Determine rthe rcommunication rmethod rhe rprefers. r
B) Avoid rusing rfacial rand rhand rgestures rbecause rmost rhearing-impaired rpeople
rfind rthis rdegrading. r
C) Request ra rsign rlanguage rinterpreter rbefore rmeeting rwith rhim rto rhelp rfacilitate
rthe rcommunication. r
D) Speak rloudly rand rwith rexaggerated rfacial rmovement rwhen rtalking rwith rhim
rbecause rthis rhelps rwith rlip rreading. r- rA) rDetermine rthe rcommunication rmethod
rhe rprefers. r
r
Pages: r40-41 rThe rnurse rshould rask rthe rdeaf rperson rthe rpreferred rway rto
rcommunicate—by rsigning, rlip rreading, ror rwriting. rIf rthe rperson rprefers rlip rreading,
rthen rthe rnurse rshould rbe rsure rto rface rhim ror rher rsquarely rand rhave rgood
rlighting ron rthe rnurse's rface. rThe rnurse rshould rnot rexaggerate rlip rmovements
rbecause rthis rdistorts rwords. rSimilarly, rshouting rdistorts rthe rreception rof ra rhearing
raid rthe rperson rmay rwear. rThe rnurse rshould rspeak rslowly rand rshould rsupplement
rhis ror rher rvoice rwith rappropriate rhand rgestures ror rpantomime. r
r
6. rThe rnurse ris rperforming ra rhealth rinterview ron ra rpatient rwho rhas ra rlanguage
rbarrier, rand rno rinterpreter ris ravailable. rWhich ris rthe rbest rexample rof ran
rappropriate rquestion rfor rthe rnurse rto rask rin rthis rsituation? r
r
,A) r"Do ryou rtake r
rmedicine?"
B) r"Do ryou rsterilize rthe r
rbottles?"
C) r"Do ryou rhave rnausea rand r
rvomiting?"
D) r"You rhave rbeen rtaking ryour rmedicine, rhaven't ryou?" r- rA) r"Do ryou rtake
rmedicine?"
r
Page: r46 rIn ra rsituation rwhere rthere ris ra rlanguage rbarrier rand rno rinterpreter
ravailable, r
use rsimple rwords ravoiding rmedical rjargon. rAvoid rusing rcontractions rand r
rpronouns.
Use rnouns rrepeatedly rand rdiscuss rone rtopic rat ra r
rtime.
7. rA rfemale rpatient rdoes rnot rspeak rEnglish rwell, rand rthe rnurse rneeds rto rchoose
ran r
interpreter. rWhich rof rthe rfollowing rwould rbe rthe rmost rappropriate r
rchoice?
r
A) A rtrained rinterpreter r
B) A rmale rfamily rmember r
C) A rfemale rfamily rmember r
D) A rvolunteer rcollege rstudent rfrom rthe rforeign rlanguage rstudies rdepartment r- rA)
rA rtrained rinterpreter r
r
Page: r46 rwhenever rpossible, rthe rnurse rshould ruse ra rtrained rinterpreter,
rpreferably rone rwho rknows rmedical rterminology. rIn rgeneral, ran rolder, rmore
rmature rinterpreter ris rpreferred rto ra ryounger, rless rexperienced rone, rand rthe rsame
rgender ris rpreferred rwhen rpossible. r
r
8. rThe rnurse ris rconducting ran rinterview. rWhich rof rthese rstatements ris rtrue
rregarding r
open-ended rquestions? rSelect rall rthat r
rapply.
r
A) They relicit rcold rfacts. r
B) They rallow rfor rself-expression. r
C) They rbuild rand renhance rrapport. r
D) They rleave rinteractions rneutral. r
E) They rcall rfor rshort rone- rto rtwo-word ranswers. r
F) They rare rused rwhen rnarrative rinformation ris rneeded. r- rB) rThey rallow rfor
rselfexpression. r
C) rThey rbuild rand renhance rrapport. r
F) rThey rare rused rwhen rnarrative rinformation r r
r
, Page: r32 rOpen-ended rquestions rallow rfor rself-expression, rbuild rrapport, rand
robtain rnarrative rinformation. rThese rfeatures renhance rcommunication rduring ran
rinterview. rThe rother rstatements rare rappropriate rfor rclosed ror rdirect rquestions. r
r
9. rThe rnurse ris rconducting ran rinterview rin ran routpatient rclinic rand ris rusing ra
rcomputer rto rrecord rdata. rWhich ris rthe rbest ruse rof rthe rcomputer rin rthis rsituation?
rSelect rall rthat rapply. r
r
A) Collect rthe rpatient's rdata rin ra rdirect, rface-to-face rmanner. r
B) Enter rall rthe rdata ras rthe rpatient rstates rit. r
C) Ask rthe rpatient rto rwait ras rthe rnurse renters rdata. r
D) Type rthe rdata rinto rthe rcomputer rafter rthe rnarrative ris rfully rexplored. r
E) Allow rthe rpatient rto rsee rthe rmonitor rduring rtyping. r- rA) rCollect rthe rpatient's
rdata rin ra rdirect, rface-to-face rmanner. r
D) Type rthe rdata rinto rthe rcomputer rafter rthe rnarrative ris rfully rexplored. r
E) Allow rthe rpatient rto rsee rthe rmonitor rduring rtyping. r
r
Page: r32 rThe ruse rof ra rcomputer rcan rbecome ra rbarrier. rThe rnurse rshould
rbegin rthe r
interview ras rusual rby rgreeting rthe rpatient, restablishing rrapport, rand rcollecting r
rthe
patient's rnarrative rstory rin ra rdirect rface-to-face rmanner. rOnly rafter rthe
rnarrative ris r
fully rexplored rshould rthe rnurse rtype rdata rinto rthe rcomputer. rWhen rtyping, rthe
rnurse r
should rposition rthe rmonitor rso rthat rthe rpatient rcan r
rsee rit.
10. rDuring ran rassessment, rthe rnurse rnotices rthat ra rpatient ris rhandling ra rsmall
rcharm r
that ris rtied rto ra rleather rstrip raround rhis rneck. rWhich raction rby rthe r
rnurse ris
appropriate? r
r
A) rAsk rthe rpatient rabout rthe ritem rand rits r
rsignificance.
B) rAsk rthe rpatient rto rlock rthe ritem rwith rother rvaluables rin rthe rhospital's r
rsafe.
C) rTell rthe rpatient rthat ra rfamily rmember rshould rtake rvaluables r
rhome.
D) rNo raction ris rnecessary. r- rA) rAsk rthe rpatient rabout rthe ritem rand rits
rsignificance.
r
Page: r21 rThe rnurse rshould rinquire rabout rthe ramulet's rmeaning. rAmulets, rsuch ras
rcharms, rare roften rseen ras ran rimportant rmeans rof rprotection rfrom r"evil rspirits" rby
rsome rcultures. r
r
11. rIn rthe rmajority rculture rof rAmerica, rcoughing, rsweating, rand rdiarrhea rare
rsymptoms rof ran rillness. rFor rsome rindividuals rof rMexican-American rorigin,
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. - A) Note-taking may impede the nurse's
observation of the patient's nonverbal behaviors.
Page: 31 Some use of history forms and note-taking may be unavoidable. But be
aware that note-taking during the interview has disadvantages. It breaks eye contact
too often, and it shifts attention away from the patient, which diminishes his or her
sense of importance. It also may interrupt the patient's narrative flow, and it impedes
the observation of the patient's 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 - D) Open-ended question
Page: 32 The open-ended question asks for narrative information. It states the topic
to be discussed but only in general terms. The nurse should use it to begin the
interview, to introduce a new section of questions, and whenever the person
introduces a new topic.
3. A nurse is taking complete health histories on all of the patients attending a
wellness workshop. On the history form, one of the written questions asks, "You
don't smoke, drink, or take drugs, do you?" This question is an example of:
A) talking too much.
B) using confrontation.
C) using biased or leading questions.
D) using blunt language to deal with distasteful topics. - C) using biased or leading
questions.
,Page: 36 rThis ris ran rexample rof rusing rleading ror rbiased rquestions. rAsking, r"You
rdon't rsmoke, rdo ryou?" rimplies rthat rone ranswer ris r"better" rthan ranother. rIf rthe
rperson rwants rto rplease rsomeone, rhe ror rshe ris reither rforced rto ranswer rin ra rway
rcorresponding rto rtheir rimplied rvalues ror ris rmade rto rfeel rguilty rwhen radmitting rthe
rother ranswer. r
4. rDuring ran rinterview, ra rparent rof ra rhospitalized rchild ris rsitting rin ran ropen
rposition. rAs rthe rinterviewer rbegins rto rdiscuss rhis rson's rtreatment, rhowever, rhe
rsuddenly rcrosses rhis rarms ragainst rhis rchest rand rcrosses rhis rlegs. rThis rwould
rsuggest rthat rthe rparent ris: r
r
A) just rchanging rpositions. r
B) more rcomfortable rin rthis rposition. r
C) tired rand rneeds ra rbreak rfrom rthe rinterview. r
D) uncomfortable rtalking rabout rhis rson's rtreatment. r- rD) runcomfortable rtalking
rabout rhis rson's rtreatment. r
r
Page: r37 rNote rthe rperson's rposition. rAn ropen rposition rwith rthe rextension rof rlarge
rmuscle rgroups rshows rrelaxation, rphysical rcomfort, rand ra rwillingness rto rshare
rinformation. rA rclosed rposition rwith rthe rarms rand rlegs rcrossed rtends rto rlook
rdefensive rand ranxious. rNote rany rchange rin rposture. rIf ra rperson rin ra rrelaxed
rposition rsuddenly rtenses, rit rsuggests rpossible rdiscomfort rwith rthe rnew rtopic. r
r
5. rThe rnurse ris rinterviewing ra rpatient rwho rhas ra rhearing rimpairment.
rWhat r
techniques rwould rbe rmost rbeneficial rin rcommunicating rwith rthis r
rpatient?
r
A) Determine rthe rcommunication rmethod rhe rprefers. r
B) Avoid rusing rfacial rand rhand rgestures rbecause rmost rhearing-impaired rpeople
rfind rthis rdegrading. r
C) Request ra rsign rlanguage rinterpreter rbefore rmeeting rwith rhim rto rhelp rfacilitate
rthe rcommunication. r
D) Speak rloudly rand rwith rexaggerated rfacial rmovement rwhen rtalking rwith rhim
rbecause rthis rhelps rwith rlip rreading. r- rA) rDetermine rthe rcommunication rmethod
rhe rprefers. r
r
Pages: r40-41 rThe rnurse rshould rask rthe rdeaf rperson rthe rpreferred rway rto
rcommunicate—by rsigning, rlip rreading, ror rwriting. rIf rthe rperson rprefers rlip rreading,
rthen rthe rnurse rshould rbe rsure rto rface rhim ror rher rsquarely rand rhave rgood
rlighting ron rthe rnurse's rface. rThe rnurse rshould rnot rexaggerate rlip rmovements
rbecause rthis rdistorts rwords. rSimilarly, rshouting rdistorts rthe rreception rof ra rhearing
raid rthe rperson rmay rwear. rThe rnurse rshould rspeak rslowly rand rshould rsupplement
rhis ror rher rvoice rwith rappropriate rhand rgestures ror rpantomime. r
r
6. rThe rnurse ris rperforming ra rhealth rinterview ron ra rpatient rwho rhas ra rlanguage
rbarrier, rand rno rinterpreter ris ravailable. rWhich ris rthe rbest rexample rof ran
rappropriate rquestion rfor rthe rnurse rto rask rin rthis rsituation? r
r
,A) r"Do ryou rtake r
rmedicine?"
B) r"Do ryou rsterilize rthe r
rbottles?"
C) r"Do ryou rhave rnausea rand r
rvomiting?"
D) r"You rhave rbeen rtaking ryour rmedicine, rhaven't ryou?" r- rA) r"Do ryou rtake
rmedicine?"
r
Page: r46 rIn ra rsituation rwhere rthere ris ra rlanguage rbarrier rand rno rinterpreter
ravailable, r
use rsimple rwords ravoiding rmedical rjargon. rAvoid rusing rcontractions rand r
rpronouns.
Use rnouns rrepeatedly rand rdiscuss rone rtopic rat ra r
rtime.
7. rA rfemale rpatient rdoes rnot rspeak rEnglish rwell, rand rthe rnurse rneeds rto rchoose
ran r
interpreter. rWhich rof rthe rfollowing rwould rbe rthe rmost rappropriate r
rchoice?
r
A) A rtrained rinterpreter r
B) A rmale rfamily rmember r
C) A rfemale rfamily rmember r
D) A rvolunteer rcollege rstudent rfrom rthe rforeign rlanguage rstudies rdepartment r- rA)
rA rtrained rinterpreter r
r
Page: r46 rwhenever rpossible, rthe rnurse rshould ruse ra rtrained rinterpreter,
rpreferably rone rwho rknows rmedical rterminology. rIn rgeneral, ran rolder, rmore
rmature rinterpreter ris rpreferred rto ra ryounger, rless rexperienced rone, rand rthe rsame
rgender ris rpreferred rwhen rpossible. r
r
8. rThe rnurse ris rconducting ran rinterview. rWhich rof rthese rstatements ris rtrue
rregarding r
open-ended rquestions? rSelect rall rthat r
rapply.
r
A) They relicit rcold rfacts. r
B) They rallow rfor rself-expression. r
C) They rbuild rand renhance rrapport. r
D) They rleave rinteractions rneutral. r
E) They rcall rfor rshort rone- rto rtwo-word ranswers. r
F) They rare rused rwhen rnarrative rinformation ris rneeded. r- rB) rThey rallow rfor
rselfexpression. r
C) rThey rbuild rand renhance rrapport. r
F) rThey rare rused rwhen rnarrative rinformation r r
r
, Page: r32 rOpen-ended rquestions rallow rfor rself-expression, rbuild rrapport, rand
robtain rnarrative rinformation. rThese rfeatures renhance rcommunication rduring ran
rinterview. rThe rother rstatements rare rappropriate rfor rclosed ror rdirect rquestions. r
r
9. rThe rnurse ris rconducting ran rinterview rin ran routpatient rclinic rand ris rusing ra
rcomputer rto rrecord rdata. rWhich ris rthe rbest ruse rof rthe rcomputer rin rthis rsituation?
rSelect rall rthat rapply. r
r
A) Collect rthe rpatient's rdata rin ra rdirect, rface-to-face rmanner. r
B) Enter rall rthe rdata ras rthe rpatient rstates rit. r
C) Ask rthe rpatient rto rwait ras rthe rnurse renters rdata. r
D) Type rthe rdata rinto rthe rcomputer rafter rthe rnarrative ris rfully rexplored. r
E) Allow rthe rpatient rto rsee rthe rmonitor rduring rtyping. r- rA) rCollect rthe rpatient's
rdata rin ra rdirect, rface-to-face rmanner. r
D) Type rthe rdata rinto rthe rcomputer rafter rthe rnarrative ris rfully rexplored. r
E) Allow rthe rpatient rto rsee rthe rmonitor rduring rtyping. r
r
Page: r32 rThe ruse rof ra rcomputer rcan rbecome ra rbarrier. rThe rnurse rshould
rbegin rthe r
interview ras rusual rby rgreeting rthe rpatient, restablishing rrapport, rand rcollecting r
rthe
patient's rnarrative rstory rin ra rdirect rface-to-face rmanner. rOnly rafter rthe
rnarrative ris r
fully rexplored rshould rthe rnurse rtype rdata rinto rthe rcomputer. rWhen rtyping, rthe
rnurse r
should rposition rthe rmonitor rso rthat rthe rpatient rcan r
rsee rit.
10. rDuring ran rassessment, rthe rnurse rnotices rthat ra rpatient ris rhandling ra rsmall
rcharm r
that ris rtied rto ra rleather rstrip raround rhis rneck. rWhich raction rby rthe r
rnurse ris
appropriate? r
r
A) rAsk rthe rpatient rabout rthe ritem rand rits r
rsignificance.
B) rAsk rthe rpatient rto rlock rthe ritem rwith rother rvaluables rin rthe rhospital's r
rsafe.
C) rTell rthe rpatient rthat ra rfamily rmember rshould rtake rvaluables r
rhome.
D) rNo raction ris rnecessary. r- rA) rAsk rthe rpatient rabout rthe ritem rand rits
rsignificance.
r
Page: r21 rThe rnurse rshould rinquire rabout rthe ramulet's rmeaning. rAmulets, rsuch ras
rcharms, rare roften rseen ras ran rimportant rmeans rof rprotection rfrom r"evil rspirits" rby
rsome rcultures. r
r
11. rIn rthe rmajority rculture rof rAmerica, rcoughing, rsweating, rand rdiarrhea rare
rsymptoms rof ran rillness. rFor rsome rindividuals rof rMexican-American rorigin,
