Respuesta :
Answer:
Option A, primary source
Explanation:
In patient assessment, a primary source is the patient themselves, someone with firsthand experience and firsthand knowledge of what the patient is going through because the information being sought after pertains to them. The patient will likely know when was the last time they had a flu shot; if they have any known allergies to medications, foods, pollen, etc.; they will know what medications they are prescribed; they can recall their last checkup or hospital admission; they are the most likely to have all of the subjective data about the patient necessary to paint a vivid picture for the nurse.
So with regard to health history, the best source to obtain pertinent information from is the primary source, option A.
Why Not Other Choices:
A secondary source can be the patient's loved ones, including family, friends, and intimate partner(s). It may also consist of their electronic health record (EHR) or the healthcare professionals that have provided care for the patient. These sources may be able to reveal aspects of the patient's health history like last admissions, allergies, family history of conditions, etc. but they cannot give you all of the information on the patient like the primary source. For example, the secondary source cannot pinpoint where the patient is feeling pain as well as quantify it on a scale of 0-10. For this reason, the nurse should not look first to the secondary source. This is not to say secondary sources do not have their utility -- they can be useful if the patient is confused, experiencing delirium, or unconscious.
A tertiary source is information that is not specific to the exact patient but rather about their general condition, diagnosis, or state of being. These would include textbooks, studies from the internet, manuals, and journals. Because they are not patient specific, they are also not the go-to source for a patient's health history.
Final answer:
Nurses look for primary sources regarding health history as these provide the most accurate and patient-specific information needed for effective care and treatment.
Explanation:
The type of source nurses are looking for regarding health history is generally a primary source. In the context of healthcare, a primary source provides direct evidence about the patient, such as medical records, lab results, and firsthand accounts of symptoms. It is equivalent to the original documents or objects in historical research. These sources are valuable in providing the most accurate and current information available for the patient's care and treatment planning.
Secondary sources, like textbooks or review articles, may be used for context or a broader understanding of a health condition but are not typically the source for individual health history. Tertiary sources, which include reference materials like encyclopedias, while useful for quick reference, do not supply the detailed health history needed by nurses. The primary goal for nurses is to gather precise and patient-specific information that can only be obtained through primary sources. Such sources are the foundation of effective patient care and medical research.
