Free Practice Quiz Question List

2 Focused History Taking Online Quiz Questions

Use this free practice quiz with 20 questions to review 2 Focused History Taking, test your knowledge, and prepare for your next test or exam.

20 questions

True or false

1 point

A patient has an urgent need during a focused history. Is it appropriate to prioritize that need over completing every checklist question?

A
True
B
False

Choose one

1 point

At the start of a focused history, which approach best allows a patient to describe their concern in their own words?

A
Ask a series of yes-or-no questions about likely causes.
B
Invite the patient to describe what brought them in.
C
Begin by reviewing every item in the medical record.
D
Ask the patient to rate the concern before describing it.

Fill in the blank

1 point

In OLDCARTS, the O prompts the interviewer to ask about symptom .

Choose one

1 point

A patient raises two concerns at the start of a visit. What should the interviewer do to establish the focus of the encounter?

A
Ask the patient to choose the concern that is easiest to describe.
B
Record both concerns as one symptom.
C
Clarify which concern needs attention first.
D
Set aside the patient's concerns and complete the standard checklist.

Written response

1 point

What mnemonic can help organize questions about symptom onset, location, duration, character, aggravating or alleviating factors, radiation, timing, and severity?

Choose all

1 point

Which history details should be prioritized in a focused encounter when they could affect the current concern or its evaluation? Select all that apply.

A
Significant illnesses that could affect the current concern or its evaluation
B
Prior episodes of the current concern
C
Every illness the patient has ever had, whether relevant or not
D
Relevant hospitalizations or procedures

Fill in the blank

1 point

A useful allergy entry names the specific and describes the .

True or false

1 point

A clinician did not ask about a particular body system during a focused review of systems. Is it appropriate to document that system as negative?

A
True
B
False

Written response

1 point

What style of opening question encourages a patient to describe their concern in their own words before focused questions begin?

Choose all

1 point

When asking what a patient actually takes, which types of products should the interviewer include? Select all that apply.

A
Prescription medicines
B
Nonprescription products
C
Vitamins and supplements
D
Only medicines that appear on the current medication list
E
Medicines used only occasionally

Choose one

1 point

A patient reports taking a medicine that could affect the current concern. Which approach best captures the relevant medication information?

A
Record only the medicine name and whether the patient likes it.
B
Record the name, dose, route, and frequency, then clarify relevant use details.
C
Copy the medication list without asking the patient what they take.
D
Ask only whether the patient has started any new medicines.

Choose one

1 point

A patient says they no longer take a medicine that is still listed as current in the record. What is the best next step in a focused history?

A
Assume the record is correct and do not discuss the difference.
B
Remove the medication from the record without checking with the patient.
C
Compare the patient's account with the record and clarify the discrepancy when possible.
D
Document the medication as current because it appears in the record.

Open ended

1 point

A patient reports discomfort that began yesterday afternoon, is centered in the upper abdomen, comes and goes, feels burning, is worse after eating, does not radiate, and is rated 5/10. The patient also reports nausea and says an over-the-counter antacid helped briefly. Write a concise focused HPI that preserves these reported details without making a diagnosis.

Written response

1 point

When characterizing a symptom, which OLDCARTS element asks whether it travels or spreads to another area?

Choose one

1 point

A patient reports a new symptom that has changed since it began. Which approach best helps establish a useful history of present illness?

A
Record only the symptom's current severity and defer questions about its course.
B
Establish when the concern began, how it has changed, and what is happening now.
C
Begin by documenting a likely diagnosis before asking about the timeline.
D
Ask about associated symptoms but leave out the symptom's onset and progression.

Choose one

1 point

A patient presents with a specific concern and has a long medical history. How should the clinician select which medical-history details to explore in a focused encounter?

A
Collect every detail of the patient's lifetime health history before discussing the current problem.
B
Ask only about current illnesses and omit prior episodes or procedures.
C
Prioritize past and current conditions, events, and procedures that may affect the concern or its evaluation.
D
Limit medical history to diagnoses already listed in the patient's available records.

Choose one

1 point

A patient's medication list may be incomplete. Which approach best gathers and documents medication use for a focused history?

A
Ask what the patient actually takes, including occasional and nonprescription products, and record relevant medicines' names, doses, routes, and frequencies.
B
Use the medication list as definitive and ask about additional products only if the patient mentions an allergy.
C
Record prescription medicine names, but omit dose and frequency unless a recent change is reported.
D
Ask only about medicines taken every day and leave supplements and occasional products out of the history.

Choose one

1 point

While reviewing other body systems, a patient mentions a new symptom. Which approach best supports an accurate, pertinent review of systems?

A
Mark every unasked symptom as absent to keep the note concise.
B
Ask the same exhaustive checklist of questions for every patient, regardless of the concern.
C
Record only positive symptoms and leave out meaningful negatives.
D
Ask targeted questions based on the presenting concern and do not document an unassessed system as negative.

True or false

1 point

When information comes from someone other than the patient, a focused history should identify that information source and distinguish reported details from information confirmed in the record.

A
True
B
False

Written response

1 point

A trainee has asked many questions but the resulting history is confusing and includes irrelevant details. According to the principles of focused history taking, what criterion determines whether the history is complete?