Health Assessment

Practice Questions
Kristin Clephane MSN, RN,
CPN

The nurse enters a patients room

and asks, How are things today?
The nurse has employed:
A. A: An openended question
B. B: A focused
question
C. C: Probing
D. D: Paraphrasing

A trusting relationship with a

patient can be fostered by:
A. A: Introducing
yourself and stating
your role.
B. B: Identifying the
patient by room
number.
C. C: Stopping to see
the patient every 5-7
minutes.
D. D: Making up answers
when one does not
know the answer.

The patient asks, What is an IVAC thermometer? The nurse

replies It involves heat-sensitive probe being inserted into
you sublingual area or rectal orifice. Heat transmitted
proceeds via an electrical system to a control center that
interprets the temperature and displays it. This reply is:

A. A: One-way
communication
B. B: Active
listening
C. C: Unnecessary
use of jargon
D. D: Displaying
sensitivity

A patient states I dont seem to be getting

my strength back. The nurse replies Dont
worry. You are coming along just fine. This
is an example of:

A. A: Probing
B. B: False
reassurance
C. C: Disagreeing
D. D: Active
listening

After completing an initial assessment on a patient,

the nurse has charted that his respirations are 14
and his pulse is 58. This type of data would be:

A. A. objective.
B. B reflective.
C. C. subjective.
D. D. introspective.

A patient tells the nurse that he is very

nervous, that he is nauseated, and that he
feels hot. This type of data would be:

A. A. objective.
B. B. reflective.
C. C. subjective.
D. D. introspective

The patients record, laboratory studies, objective

data, and subjective data combine to form the:

A. 1. database.
B. 2. admitting
data.
C. 3. financial
statement.
D. 4. discharge
summary.

When listening to a patients breath sounds,

the nurse is unsure about a sound that is
heard. The nurse should:
A. notify the patients
physician immediately.
B. document the sound
exactly as it was heard.
C. validate the data by
asking a coworker to
listen to the breath
sounds.
D. assess again in 20
minutes to note
whether the sound is
still present.

Critical thinking in the expert nurse is

greatly enhanced by opportunities to:
A. apply theory in real
situations.
B. work with physicians to
provide patient care.
C. follow physician
orders in providing
patient care.
D. develop nursing
diagnoses for
commonly occurring
illnesses.

Which of the following is an example

of a first-level priority problem?
A. A patient with
postoperative pain
B. A newly diagnosed
diabetic who needs
diabetic teaching
C. An individual with a
small laceration on the
sole of the foot
D. An individual with
shortness of breath
and respiratory distress

Second-level priority problems

include which of the following?
A. Low self-esteem
B. Lack of
knowledge
C. Abnormal
laboratory
values
D. Severely
abnormal vital
signs

The nursing process is a sequential method of

problem solving that includes which five steps?
A. Assessment, treatment,
evaluation, discharge,
follow-up
B. Admission, assessment,
diagnosis, treatment,
discharge planning
C. Admission, diagnosis,
treatment, evaluation,
discharge planning
D. Assessment, diagnosis,
planning,
implementation,
evaluation

A newly admitted patient is in acute pain,

has not been sleeping well lately, and is
having difficulty breathing. How should the
nurse prioritize these problems?

A. Breathing, pain,
sleep
B. Breathing,
sleep, pain
C. Sleep,
breathing, pain
D. Sleep, pain,
breathing

Which statement illustrates the biomedical

model of Western traditional views?
A. Health is viewed as the
absence of disease.
B. Optimal health is
viewed as high-level
wellness.
C. Health and disease are
considered a cyclical
process.
D. The treatment of
disease is nursings
primary focus.

An example of objective information obtained

during the physical assessment includes the:

A. patients history of
allergies.
B. patients use of
medications at
home.
C. last menstrual
period 1 month ago.
D. 2 5 cm scar
present on the right
lower forearm.

Which situation is most appropriate

for an episodic history?
A. A patients admission to
a long-term care facility
B. A patient has sudden,
severe shortness of
breath
C. A patients admission to
the hospital for surgery
the following day
D. A patient in an
outpatient clinic has
cold and flu-like
symptoms

A 42-year-old Asian patient is being seen at

the clinic for an initial examination. The
nurse knows that it is important to include
cultural information in his health assessment
A. identify the cause to:
of his illness.
B. make accurate
disease diagnoses.
C. provide cultural
health rights for the
individual.
D. provide culturally
sensitive and
appropriate care.

When obtaining a BP, the RN palpates the radial artery

while simultaneously pumping BP cuff in order to
determine:
A. The maximum amount
of pain patient can
endure
B. The lowest amount of
pressure in the radial
artery needed to
occlude the pulse
C. The highest amount of
pressure in the radial
artery needed to
occlude the pulse
D. The amount of pressure
needed to determine BP
cuff size

The nurse would term the patient

what if a bluish color is seen in the
lips and nose during assessment.

A. Erythema
B. Pallor
C. Cyanosis
D. Ashen

A healthy BMI is between what two

numbers?
A. 10-15
B. 19-25
C. 20-24
D. 15-25

The nurses notes upon obtaining a

radial pulse that the pulse is normal
in force, this would be charted as:
A. 1+
B. 2+
C. 3+
D. 4+

Upon counting respirations, if no variations

are noted in the depth, regularity, or quality
of respirations, the nurse would count these
by:

A. Staying in position
after counting pulse
and continuing to
count RR for 30
seconds and
multiplying by 2
B. Staying in position
after counting pulse
and counting RR for
15 seconds and
multiplying by 4

The nurse records a HR of 45 in a 45

yr. old man, this would be noted as:
A. Tachycardia
B. Bradycardia
C. Irregular force
D. Decreased
depth

The nurse recognizes which of the following to NOT

be a risk factor for hypertension

A. Smoking
B. Alcohol
consumption
C. Stress
D. Deep breathing
exercises

When obtaining a BP, the nurse listens for

which of the following Korotkoff sounds to
determine BP systolic and diastolic
readings?

A. I,IV
B. I,V
C. II,IV
D. I,III

The nurse employs the use of a pain scale

for an individual that is cognitively impaired
by using the scale with black and white
expressions that the patient will point to.
This is the _____scale:

A. Numeric Rating
Scale
B. Face slant scale
C. Faces scale
D. Brief pain
inventory scale

Which would be an appropriate question to ask a

patient to determine the quality of pain he is having?

A. When did your pain

start?
B. When does it get
better?
C. Have you taken
any medications
for this pain?
D. What does you
pain feel like?

A patients turgor is assessed to

determine:
A. Pain level
B. Skin thickness
C. Hydration status
D. Skin texture

Resonant percussion sound is

evident for abnormal lung tissue
A. True
B. False

Inspection follows palpation

A. True
B. False

Palpation confirms or denies pieces of

the assessment you noted in inspection

A. True
B. False

How many centimeters is this:

0.3mm
A. 3 cm
B. 0.3 cm
C. 0.03cm
D. 0.003cm

A 45 year old woman has an

assessment and history indicative of
physical abuse, your obligation as an
RN is what?

A. Report it to authorities
B. Report it to her
visitors
C. Explore reasons why
she may be causing
this to happen
D. Assess using the AAS
scale to further
determine how recent
and serious the abuse
is

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