Which of the following are included in the health history of an older adult?

Question

a. Chief complaint
b. Amount of edema
c. List of medications
d. Oculomotor deficits
e. Review of the systems
f. Current nursing diagnoses

Answer 1

A, C, E

a. Correct. Assessing an older adult and obtaining the health history begins with the individ-ual's description of the main reason or problem for seeking health care.
b. Incorrect. Checking for the intensity of edema is part of the physical assessment.
c. Correct. Every health history must have a list of current medications and any medications that were discontinued recently. In addition, the nurse obtains a list of all vitamins, miner-als, dietary supplements, herbal preparations, over-the-counter medications, and anything else an older adult takes on a regular basis.
d. Incorrect. Oculomotor deficits are evaluated in the physical examination.
e. Correct. A review of the systems is included in the health history. It involves asking an older adult for historical data about each major organ system in the body.
f. Incorrect. Nursing diagnoses are part of the nursing care plan. They are developed after data collection is completed and the data are organized into meaningful groups.