CH4 Flashcards
What is the purpose of the health history?
- to collect subjective data- what the person says about him or herself
- It describes individual as a whole and how the person interacts with the environment
- records strengths and coping skills
- screening tool for abnormal symptoms, health problems, concerns, and records ways of responding to health problems
What does the health history recognize and affirm?
It should affirm what the person is doing RIGHT.
- what he or she does to stay well.
- For the well person, the health hx is used to assess his or her lifestyle (exercise, diet, substance use, risk reduction, health promo behaviors)
For an ill person, what should be included in the health hx?
a detailed and chronological record of the health problem
Health History Sequence
- Biographic Data
- Reason for seeking care
- present health or history of present illness
- past history
- Family history
- Review of symptoms
- Functional assessment of ADLs
What is included in Biographic Data?
- Name, address, phone, age, birthday, birthplace, gender, marital status, ethnic origin, occupation.
- note usual occupation and present occupation (illness or disability may have prompted change in occupation)
- Record language and communication needs. Primary language and authorized representative. Joint commission requires hospitals to record language and communication needs)
What is included in Source of History?
- Record who gives the info- the person, relative, friend, coworker
- Judge how reliable the informant seems, and willingness to communicate.
- Note any special circumstances like an interpreted present.
*reliable person can be determined by rephrasing a question or repeating a question later, and person gives the same responses.
What is included in Reason for Seeking Care?
- brief, spontaneous statment in persons own words.
- states signs and symptoms
- try to record whatever the person says is the reason for seeking care in quotation marks and record time frame
- avoid writing the diagnosis because that is not what prompted the visit, the symptom did.
- avoid recording a patients self-diagnosis, and instead ask what symptoms make them think they have _______.
- If the patient lists many reasons for seeking care, ask them and only record what made them seek help NOW.
What is included in present health or history of present illness for the well person?
Short statement about the general state of health. “I feel healthy right now”
What is included in the history of illness for an ill person?
- this section is a chronological record of the reason for seeking care, from the time the first symptom started until now.
- isolate each reason for care identified by the person
- If the concern started years or months ago, ask what happened in between then and now, and ask what prompted them to seek care NOW.
- Include the 8 critical characteristics
What are the 8 critical characteristics of the health history?
- Location: specific, point to location, and note precise site “pain behind the eyes”.
- is the pain localized or radiating?
- Is the pain superficial or deep? - Character or Quality: More descriptive terms to describe pain- burning, sharp, dull, aching, gnawing, throbbing, shooting. Use similes to help patient describe things (does blood in stool look sticky like tar?
- Quantity or severity: Quantify the sign or symptom such as “its profuse menstrual flow, needing 5 pads every hour”. Quantify pain on pain scale of 1-10.
- Timing: Onset, duration, frequency. When did it appear, how long did it last, was it constant, or come and go? did it resolve completely? Did it reappear?
- Setting: Where where you when it started? What brings it on?
- Aggravating factors or relieving factors: what makes it worse? What makes it better?
- Associated Factors: Is the primary symptom associated with any others? Review body system related to the symptom now. Review medication regimen, and alcohol and tobacco use because symptom may be a side effect.
- Patients Perception: Find meaning of symptom by asking how it has affected the patient. Directly ask them what they think the symptom means because it alerts you to potential anxiety if the person thinks the symptom is ominous.
Why are past health events important?
- they have residual effects on the current health state
- previous experience with illness may give clues as to how the person responds to illness
- clues on the significance of illness to the patient
What is included in asking about childhood illnesses?
- Mumps, measles, rubella, chicken pox, pertussis, strep throat.
- Do not record “unusual childhood illnesses”
- Ask about serious illness that may affect them in later years (rheumatic fever, scarlet fever, poliomyelitis)
What is included in accidents or injuries?
Auto accidents, fractures, penetrating wounds, head injuries*(especially if associated with unconsciousness), burns
What is included in serious or chronic illnesses?
Asthma, depression, diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, HIV, hep, sick cell anemia, cancer, seizure disorders
What do you ask about hospitalizations?
Cause of hospitalizations, name of hospital, how condition was tx, name of physician, length of stay
What do you ask about operations?
Type of surgery, date, name of surgeon, name of hospital, and how person recovered
What do you as about OB hx?
- Number of pregnancies (gravidity)
- number of deliveries in which fetus reached full term (term)
- number of incomplete pregnancies (abortions)
- number of children living ( living)
- for each complete pregnancy, note the course of pregnancy, labor, delivery, gender, weight, and condition of each infant. Note postpartum course.
- for incomplete pregnancies note the duration and whether the pregnancy resulted in induced abortion (I), or spontaneous abortion (S)
What Immunizations do you ask about?
- measles-mumps-rubella
- polio
- diptheria-pertussis-tetanus
- varicella
- hep a & hep b
- pneumococcal vaccine
- influenza
- note date of last tetanus, and last TB
What does the CDC recommend for the HPV vaccine?
- Women ages 19-26
- Men ages 9-26
What does the CDC recommend for MMR?
Most adults born after 1957 don’t need a 2nd vaccination if they can document receiving at least one dose.
- health care workers, college students, international travelers, and adults exposed to measles out break need second dose.
What do you ask about last exam dates?
Dates of last:
- physical
- dental
- vision
- hearing
- ECG
- chest xray
- mammogram
- pap
- stool occult
- serum cholesterol
What do you note about allergies?
- Note both allergen and the reaction
- if it is a drug, then make sure it is an actual allergy and not a side effect
What do you note about medications?
- all Rx and all OTC meds
- vitamins, BC pills, aspirin, antacids (always ask about these because people dont consider them medications)
- For each medication, document the name, dose, and schedule. What is the med for? How long have you been taking it? How often do you take it each day?
- inquire about substances (alcohol, smoking, street drugs)
- inquire about home or herbal remedies