While recording the health history, the nurse learns that a patient has worked at a landfill for the last 35 years. Why is this information important?
1. It reflects the patient's level of education.
2. The patient has had possible exposure to environmental toxins.
3. Patients who work out of doors are more likely to develop skin cancer.
4. The patient probably also uses tobacco.
2
Rationale 1: Working in a landfill is not pertinent to the patient's education level.
Rationale 2: Occupation can reveal the potential for exposure to toxins such as arsenic, coal tar, creosote, and petroleum products. Even if the patient does not work directly with these chemicals, they may be present in the atmosphere and environment.
Rationale 3: Working in a landfill does not necessarily mean working in the sun. The patient could work in an office or in an area not in sunlight.
Rationale 4: It would be stereotyping for the nurse to assume that a patient who works in a landfill uses tobacco. The nurse should ask about personal habits, not make assumptions.
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