Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Learning Outcomes
2. Summarize components of the nursing health history for patients across the life
span.
• Suggested Classroom Activity: Ask students to identify each component of the
nursing health history.
3. Explain the importance of combining each component of the nursing health history
to provide holistic patient care.
• Suggested Classroom Activity: Ask students to explain the meaning of holistic
patient care.
5. Develop a pedigree.
• Suggested Classroom Activity: Ask students to discuss the importance of genetics
and familial health to a patient’s health status. Also, ask students to develop their own
pedigree.
1. The health history is a comprehensive record of the patient’s past and current
health that is initiated on the first visit and updated with each subsequent visit.
2. The purpose of the health history is to document the responses of the patient to
actual and potential health concerns.
3. The nursing health history differs from the medical history in that the medical
history focuses on disease, whereas the health history obtained by the nurse
determines the extent to which the patient will need support and teaching.
4. The focus of the nursing health history is on patient-centered care or on the
patient’s response to the health concerns as a whole person not just on the
involved body system.
5. The health history is comprehensive and contains the following components:
biographical data; present health or illness; past medical history including
surgical history, hospitalizations, childhood illnesses, allergies and
immunizations; family history; psychosocial history; and review of body systems.
6. Biographical data includes the patient’s insurance status as an indicator of
access to health care.
7. Biographical data also includes the patient’s occupation as an assessment for
work-related injuries or illnesses.
8. The nurse seeks to gather data on the patient’s present health, illness, or
complaint (i.e., reason for seeking care). The nurse develops a list of statements
that reflect the patient’s major reason for seeking care.
9. The nurse collects information regarding the patient’s health beliefs and practices
including health patterns—habits or acts—that affect the patient’s health.
10. The nurse obtains the patient’s family history to determine if genetic or familial
patterns of health or illness are contributing factors to the patient’s current health
status.
11. The nurse encourages the patient to recall as many generations as possible in
order to develop a complete family history.
12. A well-documented family history enables providers to establish a basis to predict
the risk or susceptibility for common diseases such as diabetes, cancer, and
heart disease, as well as inherited diseases.
27. The patient’s database provides a holistic view of past and present physical,
psychological, social, cultural, and spiritual health. It is used to formulate nursing
diagnoses and plan the patient’s care.
28. Effective nurse–patient communication is necessary to obtain complete
information for the patient’s database.
29. The nurse employs effective communication techniques during the health history
interview process.