The nurse is taking a health history on an adolescent. What best describes how the chief complaint should be determined?
a. Ask for a detailed listing of symptoms.
b. Ask the adolescent, "Why did you come here today?"
c. Use what the adolescent says to determine, in correct medical terminology, what the problem is.
d. Interview the parent away from the adolescent to determine the chief complaint.
ANS: B
The chief complaint is the specific reason for the child's visit to the clinic, office, or hospital. Because the adolescent is the focus of the history, this is an appropriate way to determine the chief complaint. A listing of symptoms will make it difficult to determine the chief complaint. The adolescent should be prompted to tell which symptom caused him or her to seek help at this time. The chief complaint is usually written in the words that the parent or adolescent uses to describe the reason for seeking help. The parent and adolescent may be interviewed separately, but the nurse should determine the reason the adolescent is seeking attention at this time.
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