To assess a patient’s beliefs about illness, a nurse should ask which question?

• A. Provide a fixed explanation.
• B. Nurses should ask patients what they think caused the illness.
• C. Ignore patient beliefs.
• D. Only focus on physical symptoms.

Answer: (B)

Understanding a patient’s beliefs about illness helps reveal how they interpret their condition and what might influence their decisions about care. This information comes from asking the patient what they think caused the illness, which invites their perspective and highlights any misconceptions or cultural factors that could affect treatment and adherence. When you ask directly about what the patient thinks caused the illness, you open a collaborative dialogue that guides education and plan of care to fit the patient’s worldview and needs. In contrast, giving a fixed explanation, ignoring beliefs, or concentrating only on physical symptoms misses important context and can undermine trust and effective care.