NCLEX-RN · Health Promotion and Maintenance

Health Promotion and Maintenance Review

Review status: Draft. This educational content has not yet been reviewed by a licensed nursing professional.

Growth and development, prevention, screening, and pregnancy and newborn care.

2026 NCLEX-RN test plan:: 6–12% of the exam
Practice questions:: 20 original

Practice Health Promotion and Maintenance questions

What this category covers

Health Promotion and Maintenance focuses on keeping people well across the life span. It includes normal growth and development, pregnancy, birth and newborn care, preventing disease, screening, and teaching clients how to protect their own health.

Key concepts

Growth and development

Knowing expected milestones helps the nurse recognize what is normal for an age group, plan age-appropriate teaching, and notice delays early.

Pregnancy, birth and the newborn

Prenatal care, recognizing warning signs in pregnancy, and early newborn assessment are core topics. Nurses teach families what is expected and when to seek care.

Prevention and screening

Immunizations, health screenings and lifestyle changes prevent or detect illness early. Recommendations change over time, so nurses rely on current official schedules rather than memorized ages.

Teaching and readiness to learn

Good teaching starts with what the client already knows and wants to change, uses plain language, and checks understanding with teach-back.

Topics to review

Developmental milestones from infancy to older adulthood
Prenatal care and danger signs in pregnancy
Newborn assessment and early care
Immunization principles and current schedules
Health screening and risk reduction
Teaching methods and teach-back
Aging-related changes and health maintenance
Lifestyle choices and self-care

Related case studies

Sources

Educational Use & Safety

Educational exam preparation only. Questions and case studies use fictional clients and teach general nursing concepts. They are not medical advice and do not determine care for an actual patient. Always follow current clinical guidance, provider orders, and your program's and facility's policies.