Nursing textbooks medical-surgical practice questions, set 28
Nursing textbooks · medical-surgical
Nursing textbooks medical-surgical practice questionsset 28
You practice adult health stems across systems, then name the action that changes the outcome. Five of the 15 questions include the correct answer and rationale. The other ten keep answers in the study hub. Continue with the Nursing textbooks exam guide or more Nursing textbooks practice questions.
Five medical-surgical questions with answers
Cover the key. Write the first action. Then open the rationale and name why the other choices fail.
Question 1
A patient being treated for major depressive disorder has taken 300 mg amitriptyline daily for a year. The patient calls the case manager at the clinic and says, 'I stopped taking my antidepressant 2 days ago. Now I am having cold sweats, nausea, a rapid heartbeat, and nightmares.' How should the nurse advise the patient?
A. Go to the nearest emergency department immediately.
B. Do not to be alarmed. Take two aspirin and drink plenty of fluids.
C. Take one dose of the antidepressant, and then come to the clinic to see the health care provider.
D. Resume taking the antidepressant for 2 more weeks, and then discontinue it again.
Show answer and rationale
Correct answer: C — Take one dose of the antidepressant, and then come to the clinic to see the health care provider.
The patient has symptoms associated with abrupt withdrawal of the tricyclic antidepressant. Taking a dose of the drug will ameliorate the symptoms. Seeing the health care provider will allow the patient to discuss the advisability of going off the medication and to be given a gradual withdrawal schedule if discontinuation is the decision. This situation is not a medical emergency, although it calls for medical advice. Resuming taking the antidepressant for 2 more weeks and then discontinuing again would produce the same symptoms the patient is experiencing.
Question 2
When assessing the skin, nurses use techniques to provide complete data and correct documentation. Which actions are appropriate during the skin assessment? Select all that apply.
A. Comparing bilateral parts for symmetry
B. Proceeding in a toe-to-head, systematic manner
C. Using standard terminology to communicate and document findings
D. Avoiding using data from the nursing history to direct the assessment
E. Documenting only skin abnormalities on the health record
Show answer and rationale
Correct answer: A — Comparing bilateral parts for symmetry
During skin assessment, the nurse should compare bilateral parts for symmetry, use standard terminology to communicate and document findings, and perform the appropriate skin assessment when risk factors are identified. The nurse should proceed in a head-to-toe systematic manner, using cues/data from the nursing history to direct the assessment. When documenting a physical assessment of the skin, the nurse should describe exactly what is observed or palpated, including appearance, texture, size, location or distribution, and characteristics of any findings.
Question 3
The nurse is preparing to administer warfarin (Coumadin) to a client with deep vein thrombophlebitis (DVT). Which laboratory value would most clearly indicate that the patients warfarin is at therapeutic levels?
A. Partial thromboplastin time (PTT) within normal reference range
B. Prothrombin time (PT) eight to ten times the control
C. International normalized ratio (INR) between 2 and 3
D. Hematocrit of 32%
Show answer and rationale
Correct answer: C — International normalized ratio (INR) between 2 and 3
The INR is most often used to determine if warfarin is at a therapeutic level; an INR of 2 to 3 is considered therapeutic. Warfarin is also considered to be at therapeutic levels when the clients PT is 1.5 to 2 times the control. Higher values indicate increased risk of bleeding and hemorrhage, whereas lower values indicate increased risk of blood clot formation. Heparin, not warfarin, prolongs PTT. Hematocrit does not provide information on the effectiveness of warfarin; however, a falling hematocrit in a client taking warfarin may be a sign of hemorrhage.
Question 4
The nurse is administering an amphotericin B infusion. Which actions by the nurse are appropriate? (Select all that apply.)
A. Administering the medication by rapid IV infusion
B. Discontinuing the drug immediately if the patient develops tingling and numbness in the extremities
C. If adverse effects occur, reducing the IV rate gradually until they subside
D. Using an infusion pump for IV therapy
E. Monitoring the IV site for signs of phlebitis and infiltration
Show answer and rationale
Correct answer: B — Discontinuing the drug immediately if the patient develops tingling and numbness in the extremities
If the patient develops tingling and numbness in the extremities (paresthesias), discontinue the drug immediately. An infusion pump is necessary for the infusion, and the nurse will monitor the IV site for signs of phlebitis and infiltration. Premedication to reduce the adverse effects of fever, malaise, and nausea may be ordered. The IV solution must be clear and without precipitates; and muscle weakness, not twitching, may indicate hypokalemia. The medication must be administered at the rate recommended and stopped, not slowed, if adverse reactions occur.
Question 5
A nurse is caring for a patient who has had a total hip replacement. The nurse is reviewing health education prior to discharge. Which of the patient's statements would indicate to the nurse that the patient requires further teaching?
A. I'll need to keep several pillows between my legs at night.
B. I need to remember not to cross my legs. It's such a habit.
C. The occupational therapist is showing me how to use a sock puller to help me get dressed.
D. I will need my husband to assist me in getting off the low toilet seat at home.
Show answer and rationale
Correct answer: D — I will need my husband to assist me in getting off the low toilet seat at home.
To prevent hip dislocation after a total hip replacement, the patient must avoid bending the hips beyond 90 degrees. Assistive devices, such as a raised toilet seat, should be used to prevent severe hip flexion. Using an abduction pillow or placing several pillows between the legs reduces the risk of hip dislocation by preventing adduction and internal rotation of the legs. Likewise, teaching the patient to avoid crossing the legs also reduces the risk of hip dislocation. A sock puller helps a patient get dressed without flexing the hips beyond 90 degrees.
Keep going past these 15 questions
Missed-question review, longer banks, and the rest of 20,000+ nursing practice questions open when you start studying.
Ten more Nursing textbooks medical-surgical questions
Stems and choices stay public so you can still reason. Correct answers and full rationales unlock with the rest of the bank.
Question 6
The hospital is having a problem with healthcare-associated infections. A committee has been established to study the problem and make recommendations. The nurse working on the committee knows that this work addresses what?
A. Inpatient quality indicators
B. Prevention quality indicators
C. National Patient Safety Goals
D. Patient safety indicators
Correct answer:
The Joint Commission has established National Patient Safety Goals that are updated annually. These safety goals have changed how patients are identified and prevent adverse effects. Some of the 2016 goals include reducing the risk of healthcare-associated infections. Patient safety indicators reflect the quality of care in hospitals but focus on potentially avoidable complications. Prevention indicators identify hospital admissions that could be avoided through high-quality outpatient care. Inpatient indicators reflect quality of care inside the hospital.
After reviewing information about estrogens and their use, the instructor determines that the teaching was successful when the students identify which of the following as true? Select all that apply.
A. Changes in lipids levels occur with the use of estrogens.
B. Progestin use is recommended when estrogen is used after a hysterectomy.
C. Estrogen replacement therapy (ERT) helps to lessen the changes to the aging tissues.
D. Estrogens increase a woman's risk for gallbladder disease.
E. The use of estrogens is associated with relatively few adverse reactions.
Correct answer:
Estrogens can relieve symptoms of menopause but can lead to blood pressure and lipid changes. ERT can help lessen the changes to aging tissues, but the estrogen does increase a woman's risk for gallbladder disease. The addition of progestin is recommended when estrogen is used to treat menopausal symptoms in a woman with an intact uterus. Estrogen alone may be used for estrogen replacement therapy after a hysterectomy. The administration of estrogen by any route may result in many adverse reactions, although these reactions vary in incidence and intensity.
The intensive care unit has four clients received from a violent motor vehicle accident. Which client would the nurse assess first?
A. The client with an open head injury
B. The client with a basilar fracture
C. The client with a concussion
D. The client with a coup injury
Correct answer:
Of the four clients, the client whom the nurse would assess first would be the client with a basilar fracture due to location of the fracture being at the base of the skull. This location is especially dangerous because it can cause edema of the brain near the spinal cord and can interfere with circulation of cerebral spinal fluid. An open head injury causes a potential for infection but are less likely to have an increased intracranial pressure. A concussion is a blow to the head that jars the brain. A coup injury occurs when the brain is struck directly.
A 72-year-old client who is hospitalized will be going on anticoagulant therapy and will require home healthcare nurses to visit once weekly to draw blood for coagulation studies. What coverage does the client have that will cover this service?
A. Medicaid
B. Medicare Part A
C. Medicare Part B
D. Medicare Part C
Correct answer:
Medicare covers individuals who are 65 years of age or older, permanently disabled workers of any age with specific disabilities, and persons with end-stage renal disease. Medicare Part A covers hospital care, skilled care, hospice, and home health services. Medicare Part B covers medically necessary services such as physician services that are not covered under Part A. Medicare Part C is the Medicare Advantage Plan and includes Parts A and B. Medicaid coverage is coverage for indigent patients that are unable to afford healthcare and qualify financially.
A nurse and a student are developing a concept care map for a client with multiple sclerosis. Once finished, what important information can the student glean from the concept map?
A. Ideas about the client's care and how they are linked and interrelated
B. A prediction of how effective the client's plan of care will be
C. Trends and patterns in the client's status over time
D. A determination of whether the desired outcomes are achieved
Correct answer:
The student can glean important information pertaining to ideas about the client's care and how these ideas are linked and interrelated. A concept map does not predict how effective the client's plan of care will be. That requires the nurse to evaluate the plan's effectiveness. The concept map also does not provide trends and patterns in the client's status over time. That requires the nurse to assess and document those trends. To determine if desired outcomes are achieved, the nurse needs to reassess the client once the plan of care has been implemented.
After reporting an adult patient's loud snoring and changes in vital signs occurring overnight the patient's health care provider, a nocturnal polysomnography study is prescribed. What teaching will the nurse provide about this test?
A. This is a blood test, taken in the evening to evaluate leptin and ghrelin.
B. The patient is monitored overnight to evaluate for sleep apnea.
C. A patient is evaluated for leg jerking and awakenings during the night.
D. Adults, rather than children, can be diagnosed with this test.
Correct answer:
Polysomnography is an overnight sleep study to determine if an individual has sleep apnea and treatment. Leptin and ghrelin are hormones that regulate nutritional intake. Leptin signals the brain to stop eating, whereas ghrelin promotes continued eating. Research suggests that sleep deprivation lowers leptin levels and elevates ghrelin levels, increasing appetite; however, this does not help diagnose sleep apnea. Jerking legs in the early stage of intravenously is expected. Both adults and children can benefit from diagnosis of sleep apnea with this test.
A nurse anticipates that an 8-year-old client has otitis externa from symptoms stated on the history. Which symptom(s), from the history and physical examination, would confirm the diagnosis? Select all that apply.
A. Discomfort in the ear
B. Redness of the ear canal
C. Pus noted in the ear canal
D. Conductive hearing loss
E. Tympanic membrane may appear normal
Correct answer:
The diagnosis of otitis externa (inflammation of the tissue of the outer ear) is confirmed by reports of pain, discharge from the external auditory canal, aural tenderness (usually not present in middle ear infections), and occasionally fever, cellulitis, and lymphadenopathy. Other symptoms may include pruritus and conductive hearing loss or a feeling of fullness in the ear. On otoscopic examination, the ear canal is erythematous and edematous. Discharge may be yellow or green and foul smelling. In fungal infections, hairlike black spores may be visible.
Which phase of the nursing process enables the nurse to compare the actual outcomes with the expected outcomes?
A. Assessment
B. Planning
C. Implementation
D. Evaluation
Correct answer:
Evaluation is assessment and review of the quality and suitability of the care given and the client's responses to that care. Assessment is careful observation and evaluation of a client's health status. Planning involves setting priorities, defining expected (desired) outcomes (goals), determining specific nursing interventions, and recording the plan of care. Implementation means carrying out the written plan of care; performing interventions; monitoring the client's status; and assessing and reassessing the client before, during, and after treatments.
A client with terminal cancer is being referred to hospice services to assist with care of the client and the family in the home environment. What type of care does the nurse determine this is?
A. Primary care
B. Secondary care
C. Tertiary care
D. Acute care
Correct answer:
Tertiary care focuses more on complex medical and surgical interventions, cancer care, rehabilitative services, long-term care such as burn care, and palliative and hospice care. This client is terminally ill and being referred for hospice service. Secondary care includes referrals to facilities for additional testing such as cardiac catheterization, consultation, and diagnosis as well as emergency and acute care interventions. The client does not fall into the acute care category. Primary care would include being seen by the client's primary physician.
When teaching a patient who will be receiving antihistamines, the nurse will include which instructions?
A. Antihistamines are generally safe to take with over-the-counter medications.
B. Take the medication on an empty stomach to maximize absorption of the drug.
C. Take the medication with food to minimize gastrointestinal distress.
D. Drink extra fluids if possible.
E. Antihistamines may cause restlessness and disturbed sleep.
Correct answer:
Antihistamines should be taken with food, even though this slightly reduces the absorption of the drug, so as to minimize the gastrointestinal upset that can occur. Over-the-counter medications must not be taken with an antihistamine unless approved by the physician because of the serious drug interactions that may occur. Drinking extra fluids will help to ease the removal of secretions, and activities that require alertness, such as driving, must not be engaged in until the patient knows how he or she responds to the sedating effects of antihistamines.
About these Nursing textbooks medical-surgical questions
Nursing textbooks medical-surgical practice questions, set 28 for nursing students in the United States. Fifteen items. Five include answers and rationales in American English.
No. Nursier is independent practice. Register through the official path named on the Nursing textbooks exam guide.
The first five questions already include the rationale. Start full practice to unlock the remaining keys, missed-question review, and the rest of the bank.
Keep going past these 15 questions
Missed-question review, longer banks, and the rest of 20,000+ nursing practice questions open when you start studying.