Family Health Assessment Flashcards
In considering the impact of family on health care, the FNP is aware that:
A. The family has a significant impact on the health and well-being of its individual members.
B. Family is considered only in cases of chronic illness.
C. Family members develop according to an established pattern.
D. The family structure is a consistent and static phenomenon.
Answer/Rationale: 1. A. Family has significant impact on the health and well-being of its individual members. While there are normative sequences of family development, there are many underlying factors that influence lifestyle transitions and the passage through those stages. Family structure may expand and/or contract by birth, death, divorce, marriage, etc.
In order to avoid the three most common errors in family nursing, the FNP is aware it is important to:
A. Give advice early in the intervention so that progress can be instituted.
B. Take sides with the most communicative family member.
C. Plan to create a context for change.
D. Let the family know what the FNP sees as the most pressing problem.
Answer/Rationale: 2. C. Creating context for change is essential. Empathy, mindfulness, and empathetic responding are all needed to create a healing context for change.
A. Incorrect: Offer advice, opinions, or recommendations only following a full and thorough assessment of the family’s health needs and concerns.
B. Incorrect: Aligning with one person or subgroup can make others feel disrespected, disempowered, and non-influential.
D. Incorrect: While the clinician offers input, the family determines what their most pressing concerns are.
In applying family theory to clinical practice, the FNP assists the family in recognizing their needs, goals, and strengths, as well as their capabilities and aspirations, which is called:
A. Applying microsystem family theories.
B. Building family capacity.
C. Providing a foundation to change.
D. Applying macrosystem family theories.
Answer/Rationale: 3. B. In applying family theory to clinical practice to assist this family in recognizing their needs, goals, and strengths, as well as their capabilities and aspirations to meet their ability to function to its fullest potential, the FNP is building family capacity.
While the definition of the traditional family differs according to many factors, the FNP realizes that:
A. The majority of families are ‘traditional.”
B. Expertise in assessments and interventions for nontraditional families are not unique to these families.
C. The social stress of being perceived as “different,” problematic, or threatening does not exist today.
D. Finding coping mechanisms and community resources to support nontraditional families through many challenging issues is needed to reduce stress.
Answer/Rationale: 4. D. In working with nontraditional families such as single-parent, same-sex couples, foster, and grandparents raising grandchildren, the FNP needs to help these families develop coping mechanisms and find community, legal, and financial resources to support them through issues of custody, visitation social networks, employment benefits, and effective parenting. The FNP must gain expertise in assessments and interventions that address the unique needs of these families in order to help parents and children deal with social stress from being perceived as “different” by other children, or as “problematic and threatening” by other parents.
In order to understand the practical application of family theory in the clinical area, it is important to consider that at the macrosystem level family theory is grounded in:
A. General Systems Theory, Structural Interactional Theory, Family Interactional Theory, and Developmental Theory.
B. General Systems Theory, Structural Interactional Theory, Family Interactional Theory, and Developmental Theory, but not those from the social sciences.
C. General systems theory, Structural Interactional Theory, Family Interactional Theory, and Developmental Theory, Stress and Change Levels, and those borrowed from the social sciences.
D. General Systems Theory, Structural Interactional Theory, Family Interactional Theory, and Stress and Change Theory.
Answer/Rationale: 5. C. At the macrosystem level, family theory is grounded in general systems theory, structural interactional theory, family interactional theory, and developmental theory, as well as others borrowed from the social sciences. At the microsystem level, 36 families are assessed at the family systems theory, family stress theory, and change theory levels.
Hector and Marianne have been married for 25 years. Their three children—ages 18, 20, and 21—live with them. This family is in the developmental stage called: A. Families Launching Young Adults. B. Families in Retirement and Old Age. C. Families with Adolescents. D. Middle-aged Parents.
Answer/Rationale: 6. A. They are in the developmental stage called: Families Launching Young Adults.
Hector and Marianne have been married for 25 years. Their three children—ages 18, 20, and 21—live with them. When Hector and Marianne name their family members, the FNP includes all members of the family in the genogram who are:
A. Individuals related by marriage.
B. Individuals related by birth.
C. Individuals adopted by them since they were married.
D. All individuals that are named.
Answer/Rationale: 7. D. A family is whoever they say they are: all those named who comprise their social network. The genogram clearly defines the biological ties and potential health risks
Hector and Marianne have been married for 25 years. Their three children—ages 18, 20, and 21—live with them. When initially meeting with Hector and Marianne to provide primary health care, the FNP realizes it is important to:
A. Gather information about the family status.
B. Consider only the developmental level of the patient.
C. Question only the structure of the patient’s family.
D. Request information about the patient’s family function, structure, and developmental context.
Answer/Rationale: 8. D. Quality primary care must take into account the family from structural, developmental, and functional contexts. The complete information may be taken over successive visits.
Hector and Marianne have been married for 25 years. Their three children—ages 18, 20, and 21—live with them. When questioning Hector about the reason for his visit, the FNP realizes:
A. The main concern is if he perceives himself as healthy.
B. Knowledge of his family unit will assist the FNP in determining his risk factors for future health.
C. His individual health status has little impact on the health of the family unit.
D. His current level of function is the main consideration.
Answer/Rationale: 9. B. The impact of health issues on one family member can have a significant impact on the well-being of all the family members.
A family assessment model aids the FNP in assessing the family structure and roles and expands the clinician’s understanding and management of:
A. Threats to physiological and psychological health.
B. Family member relationships.
C. Culture and religious spiritual issues.
D. Therapeutic relationships.
Answer/Rationale: 10. A. There are many clinical family assessment models that the nurse practitioner can use to assess family structure, function, and roles. Broadly, these assessment tools are available to expand the clinicians’ understanding and management of family wide threats to both physiological and psychological health.
In application of theory to clinical practice and understanding the importance of building family capacity, the FNP:
A. Is mainly concerned about the presenting complaint of the patient.
B. Evaluates chief socioeconomic status and genetic predisposition.
C. Considers the history of mental health issues, as well as personal and family goals and strengths.
D. Supports the family’s ability to function to its fullest potential.
Answer/Rationale: 11. D. In application of the theory to clinical practice, the FNP must build family capacity, which is the extent to which the family’s needs, goals, strengths, capabilities, and aspirations can meet the family’s ability to function to its fullest potential.
Marianne's elderly mother has suffered a stroke, so she will be moving into her home with Hector and their three children. In order to provide constant care at all times at home, their work schedules are realigned to accommodate this. This is an example of: A. Developmental Theory. B. Family Structure. C. Family Systems Theory. D. Structural Interactional Theory.
Answer/Rationale: 12. C. This is an example of Family Systems Theory. All parts of a system are interrelated and dependent to one another. When one part of a system becomes dysfunctional for any reason the rest of the system is affected. If one family member becomes dysfunctional, another family member may compensate and assume the duties or role of the dysfunctional family member.
Each family possesses distinctive operating systems in family function that include:
A. The developmental life cycle for each family member, as well as the family as a whole.
B. Who is considered to be a family member.
C. Family perceptions, problem-solving abilities, mental health history.
D. The employment history of individuals within the family.
Answer/Rationale: 13. C. Family function is defined as the process by which the family operates as a whole and includes communication patterns and manipulation of the environment for problem solving.
The FNP explains the purpose for drawing a genogram and eco-map is:
A. To draw a map of the neighborhood of the patient and family.
B. To provide an organizational framework used to assess the family structure and interests.
C. To provide an organizational framework to understand who fits in the family.
D. To provide a diagram of a typical family.
Answer/Rationale: 14. B. A genogram and eco-map are pictorial representations of the family structure. Family structure can be defined as the organizational framework that determines family membership and the way in which a family is organized according to roles, rules, power, and hierarchies.
In considering the developmental life cycle for each family, the FNP considers:
A. Only the developmental life cycle of the patient.
B. The developmental life cycle of each family member.
C. The developmental life cycle of the family as a whole.
D. The developmental life cycle of those older than the patient.
Answer/Rationale: 15. B. According to Wright and Leahey (2013), the family developmental assessment includes an overview of the stages, tasks, and attachments, as well as common health issues important to each stage of each family member and to the family as a whole.
