CH 14: Assessment of Medical Patient - Critical Thinking Flashcards
What questions would you ask to get a history of the present illness from a patient with a chief complaint of chest pain?
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You are trying to get info from the very upset son of an unresponsive man. He is the only available family member. He is so upset that he is having difficulty talking to you. How can you quickly get him to calm down and give you his father’s medical history?
Put your hand on his shoulder and say, “I know you are concerned about your father. You can help him by trying to calm down and answer a few questions for me about his medical history. Take a few deep breaths. Good. You look calmer. Are you ready to answer my questions?”
You are interviewing a very pleasant older man. Unfortunately your assessment is taking a long time because he does not answer your questions and instead starts talking about other things. He lives alone and appears to be lonely. How should you handle this?
Continue to talk to him for a few minutes about unrelated matters and then say “ Sir, I’m really enjoying our conversation. However I need to get back into service as soon as possible so I can help other patients. So I need you to answer a few questions for me related to the problem you’re having today. Okay?”
A patient has a history as a three pack a day smoker. How is this likely to affect the patient’s blood pressure?
Nicotine causes increased BP and heart rate, decreased O2 to the heart, increased blood clotting and damage to cells that line coronary arteries and other blood vessels. Heart attack risk increases.
