The nurse is taking a health history on an adolescent. Which best describes how the chief complaint should be determined?
A) Ask for detailed listing of symptoms.
B) Ask adolescent, "Why did you come here today?"
C) Use what adolescent says to determine, in correct medical terminology, what the problem is.
D) Interview parent away from adolescent to determine chief complaint.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The chief complaint is the specific reason for the child's visit to the clinic, office, or hospital. Because the adolescent is the focus of the history, this is an appropriate way to determine the chief complaint. A detailed listing of symptoms will make it difficult to determine the chief complaint. The adolescent should be prompted to tell which symptom caused him to seek help at this time. The chief complaint is usually written in the words that the parent or adolescent uses to describe the reason for seeking help. The parent and adolescent may be interviewed separately, but the nurse should determine the reason the adolescent is seeking attention at this time.

The Nurse Is Taking a Health History on an Adolescent