Deck 2: Concepts of Health, Illness, Stress, and Health Promotion

Question 1

Homeostasis can be described as:

A) the unchanging steady condition of humans in a changing external environment.
B) a tendency of biological systems toward stability of the internal environment by continuously adjusting to survive.
C) biological wellness that comes from the ability of the body to change and respond to physical changes in the environment.
D) a response to stress that results from a person's choice of coping mechanisms to deal with the stress.

Answer 1

a tendency of biological systems toward stability of the internal environment by continuously adjusting to survive.

Question 2

In 1946, the World Health Organization redefined health as the:

A) absence of disease or infirmity.
B) state of complete physical, mental, and social well being.
C) presence of disease or infirmity.
D) state of incomplete physical, mental, and social well being.

Answer 2

state of complete physical, mental, and social well being.

Question 3

In giving nursing care to persons of Asian origin, the nurse should:

A) keep the room warm and free of drafts.
B) look the patient directly in the eye.
C) ask permission before touching the patient.
D) warmly clasp the patient's hand in greeting.

Answer 3

ask permission before touching the patient.

Question 4

A patient admitted for diagnostic tests is frightened of hospital procedures and is nervous about the possible outcome of the tests. She states that her mouth is dry and her heart is pounding. Her blood pressure is 168/78 mm Hg (her usual blood pressure is 140/80 mm Hg), pulse is 112 beats/min, and respirations are 22 breaths/min. The nurse will recognize that these signs and symptoms are:

A) indicative of serious, acute health problems and should be reported to the physician immediately.
B) most likely related to the disease for which the patient is admitted to the hospital.
C) the effects of the parasympathetic nervous system and can be ignored.
D) the effects of the sympathetic nervous system that can negatively affect the patient's health.

Question 5

According to Hans Selye's general adaptation syndrome (GAS), a person who has experienced excessive and prolonged stress is likely to:

A) develop an illness or disease such as allergy, arthritis, or asthma.
B) become resistant to biological methods of treatment.
C) seek treatment for imagined illnesses and nonexistent symptoms.
D) be admitted to the hospital during the alarm stage.

Question 6

The nurse clarifies to a patient who now has an abscess following a ruptured appendix that the abscess is considered to be:

A) a secondary illness.
B) a life threatening complication.
C) an expected event following any surgery.
D) a disorder easily treated with antibiotics.

Question 7

The nurse assesses that a person is in the acceptance stage of illness when the patient:

A) looks to home remedies to become well.
B) reassumes usual responsibilities and roles.
C) assumes the "sick" role.
D) rejects medical treatment.

Question 8

The nurse explains that an idiopathic disease is one that:

A) is caused by inherited characteristics.
B) develops suddenly, related to new viruses.
C) results from injury during labor or delivery.
D) has an unknown cause.

Question 9

The nurse is aware that any description of health would include the concept that:

A) health is the absence of illness, and illness is the presence of chronic disease.
B) culture, education, and socioeconomic status influence one's definition of health or illness.
C) illness is a biologic malfunction, and health is biologic soundness.
D) lifestyle factors are the major determinant of health or illness.

Question 10

The nurse uses a diagram to demonstrate how Dunn's theory of health and illness can be compared with a:

A) plant that grows from a seed, blossoms, wilts, and dies.
B) continuum, with peak wellness and death at opposite ends; the person moves back and forth in a dynamic state of change.
C) ladder; from birth to death the individual moves progressively downward a ladder to eventual death.
D) state of mind dependent on the individual perception of their own health or illness.

Question 11

The nurse is aware that a stressor as experienced by an individual is usually perceived:

A) as a negative event or stimulus that affects homeostasis in maladaptive ways.
B) in different ways based on previous experience and personality traits.
C) as an opportunity for growth and learning.
D) in similar ways if age and education are similar.

Question 12

The nurse instructs a patient that according to Selye's GAS theory, when stress is strong enough and occurs over a long enough period, the patient will enter the stage of:

A) convalescence.
B) alarm.
C) transition.
D) exhaustion.

Question 13

The nurse believes that teaching a patient how to give insulin and monitor blood glucose levels will improve the level of the patient's:

A) physiological well being.
B) security, by providing psychological comfort.
C) self esteem, by promoting independence and learning.
D) self actualization, by seeking knowledge and truth.

Question 14

A patient has been advised by the physician to take medication for high cholesterol and to change eating habits after discharge home. The home health nurse discovered that the patient refused to follow the medical and nutritional directions. The nurse's best initial response to this situation is to:

A) emphasize to the patient how important it is to follow the doctor's advice.
B) determine whether any cultural, socioeconomic, or religious values conflict, thus interfering with the patient's compliance.
C) explain that without diet and medication the condition will worsen and serious problems will develop.
D) inform the physician that the patient is unable to understand the instructions.

Question 15

The factors involved in assessing the importance the patient attaches to the relief of a particular deficit include:

A) needs that the nurse must assess to prioritize care, because they may be different from person to person.
B) ordering needs according to Maslow's hierarchy, with lower level needs being least compelling.
C) needs based on a hierarchy in which higher level needs are more prominent and demand attention before lower level needs.
D) needs that are usually not known to the patient and that must be determined by the nurse.

Question 16

A nurse practicing a holistic approach to nursing care must:

A) recognize that a change in one aspect of the person's life can alter the whole of that person's life.
B) take responsibility for health care decisions.
C) promote state of the art technology.
D) discourage the use of more natural remedies and alternative methods of health care.

Question 17

The nurse explains defense mechanisms as a patient's attempt to:

A) justify the patient's assumption of the "sick" role.
B) reduce anxiety.
C) problem solve.
D) increase dependence.

Question 18

The nurse takes into consideration that the patient with an admitting diagnosis of type 2 diabetes mellitus and influenza is described as having:

A) two chronic illnesses.
B) two acute illnesses.
C) one chronic and one acute illness.
D) one acute and one infectious illness.

Question 19

According to Maslow's hierarchy, physiological needs are those that:

A) nurture intimacy.
B) foster independence.
C) encourage social interaction.
D) are essential to human life.

Question 20

The nurse assesses a terminal illness in a:

A) 76 year old admitted to a nursing home with Alzheimer's disease who is pacing and asking to go home.
B) 43 year old with Lou Gehrig's disease who is refusing food and fluid.
C) 2 year old child who burned her esophagus by drinking drain cleaner and who is being fed by a tube.
D) 52 year old diagnosed with lung cancer who had part of one lung removed and has a closed chest drainage device in place.

Question 21

The nurse assesses successful adaptation in a post stroke patient when the patient:

A) learns to walk and maintain balance with the aid of a walker.
B) consistently takes antihypertensive drugs.
C) attempts to get out of bed unassisted.
D) refuses assistance with feeding.

Question 22

Exercise can reduce stress and anxiety by the release of __________.

Question 23

The nurse takes into consideration that in the stage of resistance in Selye's GAS, the patient:

A) regresses to a dependent state.
B) continues to battle for equilibrium.
C) becomes maladaptive.
D) begins to develop stress related disorders.

Question 24

Adequate __________ is necessary in the communication between nurse and patient in order to meet the higher basic needs of security, love, belonging, and self esteem.

Question 25

Which defines the holistic approach to caring for the sick and promoting wellness? (Select all that apply.)

A) The nurse's focus is specific to the disease or injury.
B) The nurse realizes that each person has a responsibility for his or her own health.
C) Health care providers are required to intervene on behalf of all persons to ensure that health goals are met.
D) Providers combine traditional methods of health care with relaxation techniques for pain management.
E) A change in one aspect of a person's life may or may not alter the person as a whole.

Question 26

The responses during the alarm stage of the general adaptation syndrome as defined by Hans Selye include: (Select all that apply.)

A) slight increase in body temperature.
B) substantial increase in energy.
C) decreased appetite.
D) hormones released for mobilization for defense.
E) the body's adaptation abilities temporarily overreacting.

Question 27

A patient states, "I am not obese. My entire family is large." The nurse assesses that the patient is using the defense mechanism of:

A) sublimation.
B) projection.
C) denial.
D) displacement.

Question 28

The nurse describes behaviors of the transition stage of illness, which are: (Select all that apply.)

A) awareness of vague symptoms.
B) denial of feeling ill.
C) resorts to self medication.
D) withdrawal from roles and responsibilities.
E) recovery from illness begins.

Question 29

When a new admission to an extended care facility wanders about listlessly, eats only a small amount of each meal, and keeps himself isolated, the nurse can intervene by:

A) assisting with feeding at each meal.
B) reminding him that he is in a safe and secure area.
C) socializing with him in the privacy of his room.
D) supporting him to interact with an exercise group.

Question 30

A child who has just been scolded by her mother proceeds to hit her doll with a hairbrush. The nurse recognizes the child's actions are characteristic of:

A) denial.
B) displacement.
C) rationalization.
D) repression.

Question 31

When a young family man hospitalized after a breaking his leg confides to the nurse that he is concerned about the well being of his family and financial stress, the nurse can best support his sense of security by:

A) reassuring him that his leg will heal quickly.
B) actively listening to his concerns.
C) encouraging family to make frequent visits.
D) distracting him from his concerns by socialization.

Question 32

A nurse clarifies that methods of tertiary prevention are designed for:

A) rehabilitation.
B) delay of the development of a disorder.
C) screening for early detection of disease.
D) using an established protocol of therapy for a specific disease.

Question 33

The nurse clarifies that a person who is self actualized would have the characteristics of: (Select all that apply.)

A) having met all other need levels.
B) being certain of their beliefs and values.
C) not being swayed by new ideas.
D) having little need for creative self expression.
E) depending on significant others.

Question 34

The nurse encourages a patient to participate in health maintenance by maintaining an ideal body weight as a method of _____ prevention.

A) primary
B) secondary
C) tertiary
D) simple

Question 35

Sickle cell anemia is an example of a biological trait found primarily in _____ populations.

A) Asian
B) African
C) American Indian
D) Hispanic

Question 36

When the brain perceives a situation as threatening, the sympathetic nervous system reacts by stimulating which of the following physiological functions? (Select all that apply.)

A) Constriction of the pupils
B) Dilation of the bronchial tubes
C) Decreased heart rate
D) Dilation of the pupils