What does a thorough health assessment include?

A thorough health assessment encompasses both health history and physical examination, making this option the most comprehensive choice. Health history involves gathering detailed information about a patient’s medical history, lifestyle, and any risk factors, providing a context for understanding the patient's current health status. This information is crucial for identifying potential health issues and creating a personalized care plan.

The physical examination complements this by allowing a healthcare provider to assess the patient’s body conditions through various techniques such as inspection, palpation, auscultation, and percussion. Together, health history and physical examination create a complete picture of the patient's health, enabling the provider to make informed decisions regarding diagnostics, treatment, and preventive measures.

Other options focus on isolated aspects of health assessment, such as only performing a physical exam or looking solely at lab results, which do not provide a holistic view of the patient’s health. The assessment of family dynamics can be important in understanding a patient's context but is not a core component of a health assessment by itself. Thus, the combination of health history and physical examination forms the foundation of a comprehensive health assessment.