Which question or comment should the nurse initially use that would best gather the most information during a health history assessment?
a. "Let us help you."
b. "Did you seek help when it first started?"
c. "Tell me about the problems you are hav-ing."
d. "Do you have a family history of this problem?"
C
Initially use open-ended questions/comments. The use of open-ended questions/comments prompts patients to describe a situation in more than one or two words. This technique leads to a discussion in which patients actively describe their health status. Once patients tell their story, focus on the symptoms that the patient identifies and ask closed-ended questions that limit his or her answers to one or two words such as "yes" or "no" or a number or frequency of a symptom. The questions that start with "Do" and "Did" are closed-ended. "Let us help you" will not get the patient's perspective.
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