Chapter 4 Health and Illness

Chapter 4   Health and Illness

Complete Chapter Questions With Answers

Sample Questions Are Posted Below

1) Which definition of health would the nurse most likely use when assessing a patient’s thinking about health?

1. Being in a state of physical, mental, and social well-being
2. Not having any discernible illness or disease
3. Having a harmonious, balanced relationship with nature
4. The ability to get up and go to work each day

Answer:  1

Explanation:  1. The World Health Organization offers the most commonly accepted holistic definition of health: when a person has a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease.

2. No sign of discernible illness or disease does not indicate overall health, but represents a physical definition of health.
3. A harmonious, balanced relationship with nature can occur with health or illness.
4. The ability to get up and go to work is a functional definition of health.

Cognitive Level:  Applying

Patient Need:  Psychosocial Integrity

Nursing/Integrated Concepts:  Nursing Process: Assessment

Learning Outcome:  LO01 – Understand the subjective and objective determinants of health and illness.

2) Why does the nurse have difficulty defining health for a patient? Select all that apply:

1. Needs to use medical jargon
2. Difficult to find correct layperson’s terms
3. There are too many definitions to choose from.
4. It cannot be defined.
5. Does not want the patient to believe that illness is because of bad behavior

Answer:  1, 2

Explanation:  1. It is difficult to give a definition of health that makes sense without using some form of medical jargon.

2. It is a challenge to define health in terms that a layperson can understand.
3. There might be many definitions of health; however, this is not the reason why it is difficult for the nurse to define health for a patient.
4. Health can be defined, and definitions can be found through a variety of resources.
5. In one context, illness has been equated with bad behavior. However, this is not the reason why the nurse is having difficulty defining health for the patient.

Cognitive Level:  Analyzing

Patient Need:  Psychosocial Integrity

Nursing/Integrated Concepts:  Nursing Process: Implementation

Learning Outcome:  LO01 – Understand the subjective and objective determinants of health and illness.

3) A patient says, “The doctors say I’m healthy, but I still don’t feel well.” What can the nurse infer from this statement about the patient’s definition of health? Select all that apply:

1. The patient equates being healthy with feeling well.
2. The patient’s definition of health includes more than the absence of physical symptoms.
3. Since the patient does not feel well, disease must be present.
4. The patient believes that a disease is still present.
5. The patient is experiencing pain.

Answer:  1, 2

Explanation:  1. One definition of health describes health as being symbolic of wellness.

2. Some people equate health as being more than the absence of physical symptoms.
3. One definition of health does include being free from disease. However, the nurse cannot infer this from the patient’s statement.
4. One definition of health does include being free from disease. However, the nurse cannot infer this from the patient’s statement.
5. A person who is healthy can experience pain. This is not what the nurse will infer from the patient’s comment.

Cognitive Level:  Analyzing

Patient Need:  Psychosocial Integrity

Nursing/Integrated Concepts:  Nursing Process: Assessment

Learning Outcome:  LO01 – Understand the subjective and objective determinants of health and illness.