The nurse is taking a health history of an adolescent. Which best describes how the chief complaint should be determined?
a. Request a detailed listing of symptoms.
b. Ask the adolescent, "Why did you come here today?"
c. Interview the parent away from the adolescent to determine the chief complaint.
d. Use what the adolescent says to determine, in correct medical terminology, what the problem is.
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. Requesting a detailed list of symptoms makes it difficult to determine the chief complaint. The parent and adolescent may be interviewed separately, but the nurse should determine the reason the adolescent is seeking attention 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.
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