NUR 2092/NUR 2092 HEALTH ASSESSMENT / EXAM REVIEW 2024
General Health Assessment Questions
Question 1: What are the components of a comprehensive health assessment?
Answer: A comprehensive health assessment includes the following components:
● Health History: A detailed account of the patient's past and present health issues,
including family history, social history, and lifestyle habits.
● Physical Examination: A systematic examination of the body, often including
inspection, palpation, percussion, and auscultation.
● Psychosocial Assessment: Evaluating the patient's mental health, stress levels,
support systems, and coping mechanisms.
● Functional Assessment: Assessing the patient’s ability to perform activities of daily
living (ADLs) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs).
● Risk Assessment: Identifying potential health risks based on lifestyle, genetic
predispositions, and environmental factors.
Question 2: What is the purpose of palpation in a physical examination?
Answer: Palpation is used to assess various characteristics of the body such as texture,
temperature, moisture, organ location and size, and any abnormal masses or tenderness. It
helps to gather more information about the underlying structures that cannot be assessed by
visual inspection alone.
Specific Assessment Techniques
Question 3: Describe the technique of auscultation and what it is used to assess.
Answer: Auscultation involves listening to the sounds produced within the body, typically using
a stethoscope. It is primarily used to assess:
● Heart Sounds: Evaluating heart rate, rhythm, and the presence of any abnormal sounds
such as murmurs or gallops.
● Lung Sounds: Listening for normal breath sounds and any abnormal sounds like
wheezes, crackles, or stridor.
● Bowel Sounds: Checking for the presence and quality of bowel sounds, which can
indicate normal gastrointestinal function or potential issues like obstruction.
Question 4: What are the normal ranges for vital signs in adults?
Answer:
● Temperature: 36.1°C to 37.2°C (97°F to 99°F)
● Pulse: 60 to 100 beats per minute
● Respiration Rate: 12 to 20 breaths per minute
● Blood Pressure: Systolic 90-120 mmHg, Diastolic 60-80 mmHg
,Health History
Question 5: What information should be gathered during a patient’s health history
interview?
Answer:
● Chief Complaint (CC): The main reason the patient is seeking care.
● History of Present Illness (HPI): Detailed description of the current health issue,
including onset, duration, characteristics, and any associated symptoms.
● Past Medical History (PMH): Information about past illnesses, surgeries,
hospitalizations, allergies, and current medications.
● Family History: Health history of immediate family members to identify potential genetic
conditions.
● Social History: Information about the patient’s lifestyle, including smoking, alcohol use,
drug use, occupation, and living situation.
● Review of Systems (ROS): A systematic review of each body system to identify any
additional symptoms the patient may not have mentioned.
Common Health Assessment Tools
Question 6: What is the Glasgow Coma Scale, and how is it used?
Answer: The Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) is a tool used to assess a patient's level of
consciousness. It evaluates three components: eye opening, verbal response, and motor
response. Each component is scored separately, and the total score helps determine the
severity of the patient's condition:
● Eye Opening (E): 1-4 points
● Verbal Response (V): 1-5 points
● Motor Response (M): 1-6 points The scores are then summed to provide a total score
ranging from 3 to 15. A lower score indicates a more severe impairment of
consciousness.
.
Vital Signs
Question 1: What is the significance of measuring orthostatic blood pressure?
Answer: Measuring orthostatic blood pressure helps identify orthostatic hypotension, a
condition where blood pressure drops significantly when a person stands up from sitting or lying
down, indicating issues with cardiovascular or autonomic function.
Question 2: How is respiratory rate assessed, and what are its normal ranges in adults?
Answer: Respiratory rate is assessed by counting the number of breaths a person takes per
minute. The normal range in adults is 12-20 breaths per minute.
Cardiovascular System
, Question 3: What are the normal heart sounds, and what causes them?
Answer: The normal heart sounds are S1 (lub) and S2 (dub). S1 is caused by the closure of the
mitral and tricuspid valves, and S2 is caused by the closure of the aortic and pulmonic valves.
Question 4: What is a heart murmur, and what might it indicate?
Answer: A heart murmur is an abnormal sound heard during heartbeat cycles, often indicating
turbulent blood flow within the heart. It can suggest conditions like valve abnormalities or
congenital heart defects.
Respiratory System
Question 5: Describe the technique for performing a respiratory examination.
Answer: A respiratory examination involves inspection, palpation, percussion, and auscultation.
The clinician observes the patient's breathing pattern, checks for any deformities or
asymmetries, palpates for tenderness or abnormal masses, percusses to assess underlying
structures, and auscultates lung sounds for abnormalities.
Question 6: What are adventitious lung sounds?
Answer: Adventitious lung sounds are abnormal sounds heard during auscultation, such as
crackles (rales), wheezes, rhonchi, and stridor, indicating various respiratory conditions.
Gastrointestinal System
Question 7: How do you perform an abdominal examination?
Answer: An abdominal examination involves inspection, auscultation, percussion, and
palpation. The clinician inspects for distension or abnormalities, listens to bowel sounds,
percusses for underlying fluid or air, and palpates for tenderness, masses, or organomegaly.
Question 8: What is the significance of rebound tenderness in the abdomen?
Answer: Rebound tenderness is a sign of peritoneal irritation and can indicate conditions like
appendicitis. It is assessed by pressing slowly and deeply on the abdomen and then releasing
quickly; pain upon release suggests peritoneal inflammation.
Neurological System
Question 9: How is the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) used in health
assessment?
Answer: The MMSE is a tool used to screen for cognitive impairment. It assesses functions like
arithmetic, memory, and orientation, providing a score that helps identify dementia or other
cognitive disorders.
Question 10: What are the components of a neurological examination?
General Health Assessment Questions
Question 1: What are the components of a comprehensive health assessment?
Answer: A comprehensive health assessment includes the following components:
● Health History: A detailed account of the patient's past and present health issues,
including family history, social history, and lifestyle habits.
● Physical Examination: A systematic examination of the body, often including
inspection, palpation, percussion, and auscultation.
● Psychosocial Assessment: Evaluating the patient's mental health, stress levels,
support systems, and coping mechanisms.
● Functional Assessment: Assessing the patient’s ability to perform activities of daily
living (ADLs) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs).
● Risk Assessment: Identifying potential health risks based on lifestyle, genetic
predispositions, and environmental factors.
Question 2: What is the purpose of palpation in a physical examination?
Answer: Palpation is used to assess various characteristics of the body such as texture,
temperature, moisture, organ location and size, and any abnormal masses or tenderness. It
helps to gather more information about the underlying structures that cannot be assessed by
visual inspection alone.
Specific Assessment Techniques
Question 3: Describe the technique of auscultation and what it is used to assess.
Answer: Auscultation involves listening to the sounds produced within the body, typically using
a stethoscope. It is primarily used to assess:
● Heart Sounds: Evaluating heart rate, rhythm, and the presence of any abnormal sounds
such as murmurs or gallops.
● Lung Sounds: Listening for normal breath sounds and any abnormal sounds like
wheezes, crackles, or stridor.
● Bowel Sounds: Checking for the presence and quality of bowel sounds, which can
indicate normal gastrointestinal function or potential issues like obstruction.
Question 4: What are the normal ranges for vital signs in adults?
Answer:
● Temperature: 36.1°C to 37.2°C (97°F to 99°F)
● Pulse: 60 to 100 beats per minute
● Respiration Rate: 12 to 20 breaths per minute
● Blood Pressure: Systolic 90-120 mmHg, Diastolic 60-80 mmHg
,Health History
Question 5: What information should be gathered during a patient’s health history
interview?
Answer:
● Chief Complaint (CC): The main reason the patient is seeking care.
● History of Present Illness (HPI): Detailed description of the current health issue,
including onset, duration, characteristics, and any associated symptoms.
● Past Medical History (PMH): Information about past illnesses, surgeries,
hospitalizations, allergies, and current medications.
● Family History: Health history of immediate family members to identify potential genetic
conditions.
● Social History: Information about the patient’s lifestyle, including smoking, alcohol use,
drug use, occupation, and living situation.
● Review of Systems (ROS): A systematic review of each body system to identify any
additional symptoms the patient may not have mentioned.
Common Health Assessment Tools
Question 6: What is the Glasgow Coma Scale, and how is it used?
Answer: The Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) is a tool used to assess a patient's level of
consciousness. It evaluates three components: eye opening, verbal response, and motor
response. Each component is scored separately, and the total score helps determine the
severity of the patient's condition:
● Eye Opening (E): 1-4 points
● Verbal Response (V): 1-5 points
● Motor Response (M): 1-6 points The scores are then summed to provide a total score
ranging from 3 to 15. A lower score indicates a more severe impairment of
consciousness.
.
Vital Signs
Question 1: What is the significance of measuring orthostatic blood pressure?
Answer: Measuring orthostatic blood pressure helps identify orthostatic hypotension, a
condition where blood pressure drops significantly when a person stands up from sitting or lying
down, indicating issues with cardiovascular or autonomic function.
Question 2: How is respiratory rate assessed, and what are its normal ranges in adults?
Answer: Respiratory rate is assessed by counting the number of breaths a person takes per
minute. The normal range in adults is 12-20 breaths per minute.
Cardiovascular System
, Question 3: What are the normal heart sounds, and what causes them?
Answer: The normal heart sounds are S1 (lub) and S2 (dub). S1 is caused by the closure of the
mitral and tricuspid valves, and S2 is caused by the closure of the aortic and pulmonic valves.
Question 4: What is a heart murmur, and what might it indicate?
Answer: A heart murmur is an abnormal sound heard during heartbeat cycles, often indicating
turbulent blood flow within the heart. It can suggest conditions like valve abnormalities or
congenital heart defects.
Respiratory System
Question 5: Describe the technique for performing a respiratory examination.
Answer: A respiratory examination involves inspection, palpation, percussion, and auscultation.
The clinician observes the patient's breathing pattern, checks for any deformities or
asymmetries, palpates for tenderness or abnormal masses, percusses to assess underlying
structures, and auscultates lung sounds for abnormalities.
Question 6: What are adventitious lung sounds?
Answer: Adventitious lung sounds are abnormal sounds heard during auscultation, such as
crackles (rales), wheezes, rhonchi, and stridor, indicating various respiratory conditions.
Gastrointestinal System
Question 7: How do you perform an abdominal examination?
Answer: An abdominal examination involves inspection, auscultation, percussion, and
palpation. The clinician inspects for distension or abnormalities, listens to bowel sounds,
percusses for underlying fluid or air, and palpates for tenderness, masses, or organomegaly.
Question 8: What is the significance of rebound tenderness in the abdomen?
Answer: Rebound tenderness is a sign of peritoneal irritation and can indicate conditions like
appendicitis. It is assessed by pressing slowly and deeply on the abdomen and then releasing
quickly; pain upon release suggests peritoneal inflammation.
Neurological System
Question 9: How is the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) used in health
assessment?
Answer: The MMSE is a tool used to screen for cognitive impairment. It assesses functions like
arithmetic, memory, and orientation, providing a score that helps identify dementia or other
cognitive disorders.
Question 10: What are the components of a neurological examination?
