Deck 2: Cultural Assessment

Question 1

The nurse is conducting a heritage assessment. Which question is most appropriate for this assessment?

A) "Do you smoke?"
B) "What is your religion?"
C) "Do you have a history of heart disease?"
D) "How many years have you lived in the United States?"

Answer 1

"How many years have you lived in the United States?"

Question 2

Symptoms, such as pain, are often influenced by a person's cultural heritage. Which of the following is a true statement regarding pain?

A) Nurses' attitudes toward their patients' pain are unrelated to their own experiences with pain.
B) Nurses need to recognize that many cultures practice silent suffering as a response to pain.
C) A nurse's area of clinical practice will most likely determine his or her assessment of a patient's pain.
D) A nurse's years of clinical experience and current position are strong indicators of his or her response to patient pain.

Answer 2

Nurses need to recognize that many cultures practice silent suffering as a response to pain.

Question 3

An older Mexican-American woman with traditional beliefs has been admitted to an inpatient care unit. When admitting this patient, what would a culturally sensitive nurse do?

A) Contact the hospital administrator about the best course of action.
B) Arrange for a shaman for her, because requesting one herself is not culturally appropriate.
C) Further assess the patient's cultural beliefs and offer the patient assistance in contacting a curandero or priest if she desires.
D) Ask the family what they would like to do because Mexican-Americans traditionally give control of decision making to their families.

Answer 3

Further assess the patient's cultural beliefs and offer the patient assistance in contacting a curandero or priest if she desires.

Question 4

During an assessment, the nurse notices that a patient is handling a small charm that is tied to a leather strip around his neck. Which action by the nurse is appropriate?

A) Ask the patient about the item and its significance.
B) Ask the patient to lock the item with other valuables in the hospital's safe.
C) Tell the patient that a family member should take valuables home.
D) No action is necessary.

Question 5

During a class on the aspects of culture, the nurse shares that culture has four basic characteristics. Which statement correctly reflects one of the characteristics of culture?

A) Static and unchanging
B) Members share similar physical characteristics.
C) Members share a common geographic origin and religion.
D) Adapted to specific conditions r/t environmental and technical factors

Question 6

The nurse is discussing the term subculture with a student nurse. Which statement by the nurse would best describe subculture?

A) "Fitting as many people as possible into the majority culture."
B) "Identifying small groups of people who do not want to be identified with the larger culture."
C) "Singling out groups of people who suffer differential and unequal treatment as a result of cultural variations."
D) "Recognizing fairly large groups of people with shared characteristics that are not common to all members of a culture."

Question 7

The nurse is reviewing theories of illness. The germ theory, which states that microscopic organisms such as bacteria and viruses are responsible for specific disease conditions, is a basic belief of which theory of illness?

A) Holistic
B) Biomedical
C) Naturalistic
D) Magicoreligious

Question 8

After a class on culture and ethnicity, the new graduate nurse reflects a correct understanding of the concept of ethnicity with which statement?

A) "Ethnicity is dynamic and ever changing."
B) "Ethnicity is the belief in a higher power."
C) "Ethnicity pertains to a social group that may possess shared traits such as religion and language."
D) "Ethnicity is learned from birth through the processes of language acquisition and socialization."

Question 9

During a seminar on cultural aspects of nursing, the nurse recognizes that the definition stating "the specific and distinct knowledge, beliefs, customs, and skills acquired by members of a society" reflects which term?

A) Norms
B) Culture
C) Ethnicity
D) Assimilation

Question 10

The nurse manager is explaining culturally competent care during a staff meeting. Which statement accurately describes the concept of a culturally competent caregiver?

A) Able to speak the patient's native language
B) Possesses some basic knowledge of the patient's cultural background
C) Applies the underlying background knowledge of a patient's culture to provide the best possible health care
D) Understands and attends to the total context of the patient's situation

Question 11

What does an individual who believes the magicoreligious theory of illness and disease believe is the cause of his or her illness?

A) Germs and viruses
B) Supernatural forces
C) Eating imbalanced (hot/cold) foods
D) Imbalance within his or her spiritual nature

Question 12

What should the nurse, who is caring for an American Indian woman seeking help to regulate her diabetes, anticipate or expect of the patient?

A) Will comply with the treatment prescribed
B) Has given up her belief in naturalistic causes of disease
C) May also be seeking the assistance of a shaman or medicine man
D) Will need extra help in dealing with her illness and may be experiencing a crisis of faith

Question 13

A 63-year-old Chinese-American man who recently found out his wife has cancer enters the hospital with complaints of chest pain, shortness of breath, and palpitations. Which statement most accurately reflects the nurse's best course of action?

A) The nurse should focus on psychosomatic complaints.
B) The nurse should focus on performing a full cardiac assessment.
C) The nurse should send him home with instructions to contact his physician.
D) The nurse should perform both physical and psychosocial assessments.

Question 14

When reviewing the demographics of ethnic groups in the United States, the nurse recalls that which is the largest and fastest growing population?

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

Question 15

The nurse is reviewing the characteristics of culture. Which statement is correct regarding the development of one's culture?

A) Learned through language acquisition and socialization
B) Genetically determined on the basis of racial background
C) A nonspecific phenomenon and is adaptive but unnecessary
D) Biologically determined on the basis of physical characteristics

Question 16

Illness is caused by an imbalance or disharmony in the forces of nature. This statement most accurately reflects the views about illness from which theory?

A) Germ theory
B) Naturalistic theory
C) Magicoreligious theory
D) Biomedical or scientific theory

Question 17

Many Asians believe in the yin/yang theory, which is rooted in the ancient Chinese philosophy of Tao. Which statement most accurately reflects this philosophy's view of "health"?

A) A person is able to work and produce.
B) A person is happy, stable, and feels good.
C) All aspects of the person are in perfect balance.
D) A person is able to care for others and function socially.

Question 18

A woman who has lived in the United States for a year after moving from Europe has learned to speak English and is almost finished with her college studies. She now dresses like her peers and says that her family in Europe would hardly recognize her. This nurse recognizes that this situation illustrates which concept?

A) Integration
B) Assimilation
C) Biculturalism
D) Heritage consistency

Question 19

The nurse is comparing the concepts of religion and spirituality. Which statement describes an appropriate component of one's spirituality?

A) Belief in and the worship of God or gods
B) Being closely tied to one's ethnic background
C) Attendance at a specific church or place of worship
D) A connection with something larger than oneself and belief in transcendence

Question 20

An Asian-American woman is experiencing diarrhea, which is believed to be "cold" or "yin." What should the nurse recognize that the woman may likely to try to treat it?

A) Foods that are "hot" or "yang"
B) Readings and Eastern medicine meditations
C) High doses of medicines believed to be "cold"
D) No treatment because diarrhea is an expected part of life

Question 21

When providing culturally competent care, nurses must incorporate cultural assessments into their health assessments. Which statement is most appropriate to use when initiating an assessment of cultural beliefs with an older American Indian patient?

A) "Are you of the Christian faith?"
B) "Do you want to see a medicine man?"
C) "How often do you seek help from medical providers?"
D) "What cultural or spiritual beliefs are important to you?"

Question 22

The nurse should recognize that categories such as ethnicity, gender, and religion illustrate which concept?

A) Family
B) Cultures
C) Spirituality
D) Subcultures

Question 23

The nurse is reviewing the hot/cold theory of health and illness. Which statement best describes the basic tenets of this theory?

A) The causation of illness is based on supernatural forces that influence the humors of the body.
B) Herbs and medicines are classified on their physical characteristics of hot and cold and the humors of the body.
C) The four humors of the body consist of blood, yellow bile, spiritual connectedness, and social aspects of the individual.
D) The treatment of disease consists of adding or subtracting cold, heat, dryness, or wetness to restore the balance of the humors of the body.

Question 24

The nurse is asking questions about a patient's health beliefs. Which questions are appropriate? (Select all that apply.)

A) "What is your definition of health?"
B) "Does your family have a history of cancer?"
C) "How do you describe illness?"
D) "What did your mother do to keep you from getting sick?"
E) "Have you ever had any surgeries?"
F) "How do you keep yourself healthy?"

Question 25

The nurse is reviewing concepts of cultural aspects of pain. Which statement is true regarding pain?

A) All patients will behave the same way when in pain.
B) Just as patients vary in their perceptions of pain, so will they vary in their expressions of pain.
C) Cultural norms have very little to do with pain tolerance, because pain tolerance is always biologically determined.
D) A patient's expression of pain is largely dependent on the amount of tissue injury associated with the pain.

Question 26

After a symptom is recognized, the first effort at treatment is often self-treatment. Which of the following statements is true about self-treatment?

A) "Not recognized as valuable by most health care providers."
B) "Usually ineffective and may delay more effective treatment."
C) "Always less expensive than biomedical alternatives."
D) "Influenced by the accessibility of over-the-counter medicines."

Question 27

During a class on religion and spirituality, the nurse is asked to define spirituality. Which statement by the nurse best describes spirituality?

A) "Is a personal search to discover a supreme being."
B) "Is an organized system of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe."
C) "Is a belief that each person exists forever in some form, such as a belief in reincarnation or the afterlife."
D) "Focuses on a connection with something bigger than oneself and a belief in transcendence."

Question 28

A 30-year-old woman has recently moved to the United States with her husband. They are living with the woman's sister until they can get a home of their own. When company arrives to visit with the woman's sister, the woman feels suddenly shy and retreats to the back bedroom to hide until the company leaves. She explains that her reaction to guests is simply because she does not know how to speak "perfect English." What is this woman likely experiencing?

A) Culture shock
B) Cultural taboos
C) Cultural unfamiliarity
D) Culture disorientation

Question 29

During a class on cultural practices, the nurse hears the term cultural taboo. Which statement illustrates the concept of a cultural taboo?

A) Trying prayer before seeking medical help.
B) Believing that illness is a punishment of sin.
C) Refusing to accept blood products as part of treatment.
D) Stating that a child's birth defect is the result of the parents' sins.

Question 30

When caring for children with a different cultural perspective, what should the nurse recognize may pose a challenge?

A) Children have spiritual needs that are influenced by their stages of development.
B) Children have spiritual needs that are direct reflections of what is occurring in their homes.
C) Religious beliefs rarely affect the parents' perceptions of the illness.
D) Parents are often the decision makers, and they have no knowledge of their children's spiritual needs.

Question 31

The nurse is reviewing concepts related to one's heritage and beliefs. Which concept refers to belief in a divine or superhuman power(s) to be obeyed and worshipped as the creator(s) and ruler(s) of the universe?

A) Culture
B) Religion
C) Ethnicity
D) Spirituality

Question 32

When planning a cultural assessment, the nurse should include which component?

A) Family history
B) Chief complaint
C) Medical history
D) Health-related beliefs