VERIFIED 2026 Med Surg 33
Which action will the nurse in the hypertension clinic take in order
to obtain an accurate baseline blood pressure (BP) for a new
patient?
a. Deflate the BP cuff at a rate of 5 to 10 mm Hg per second.
b. Have the patient sit in a chair with the feet flat on the floor.
c. Assist the patient to the supine position for BP measurements.
d. Obtain two BP readings in the dominant arm and average the
results.
The nurse obtains the following information from a patient newly
diagnosed with prehypertension. Which finding is most important
to address with the patient?
a. Low dietary fiber intake
b. No regular aerobic exercise
c. Weight 5 pounds above ideal weight
d. Drinks a beer with dinner on most nights
Which action should the nurse take when administering the initial
dose of oral labetalol (Normodyne) to a patient with hypertension?
a. Encourage the use of hard candy to prevent dry mouth.
b. Instruct the patient to ask for help if heart palpitations occur.
c. Ask the patient to request assistance when getting out of bed.
d. Teach the patient that headaches may occur with this
medication.
After the nurse teaches the patient with stage 1 hypertension
about diet modifications that should be implemented, which diet
choice indicates that the teaching has been effective?
a. The patient avoids eating nuts or nut butters.
b. The patient restricts intake of chicken and fish.
c. The patient has two cups of coffee in the morning.
d. The patient has a glass of low-fat milk with each meal.
A patient has just been diagnosed with hypertension and has been
started on captopril (Capoten). Which information is important to
include when teaching the patient about this medication?
a. Check blood pressure (BP) in both arms before taking the
medication.
b. Increase fluid intake if dryness of the mouth is a problem.
c. Include high-potassium foods such as bananas in the diet.
d. Change position slowly to help prevent dizziness and falls.
Propranolol (Inderal) is prescribed for a patient diagnosed with
hypertension. The nurse should consult with the health care
provider before giving this medication when the patient reveals a
history of
a. asthma.
b. daily alcohol use.
c. peptic ulcer disease.
d. myocardial infarction (MI).
A 56-year-old patient who has no previous history of hypertension
or other health problems suddenly develops a blood pressure (BP)
,of 198/110 mm Hg. After reconfirming the BP, it is appropriate for
the nurse to tell the patient that
a. a BP recheck should be scheduled in a few weeks.
b. dietary sodium and fat content should be decreased.
c. there is an immediate danger of a stroke and hospitalization will
be required.
d. diagnosis of a possible cause, treatment, and ongoing
monitoring will be needed.
Which action will be included in the plan of care when the nurse is
caring for a patient who is receiving nicardipine (Cardene) to treat
a hypertensive emergency?
a. Keep the patient NPO to prevent aspiration caused by nausea
and possible vomiting.
b. Organize nursing activities so that the patient has undisturbed
sleep for 6 to 8 hours at night.
c. Assist the patient up in the chair for meals to avoid
complications associated with immobility.
d. Use an automated noninvasive blood pressure machine to
obtain frequent blood pressure (BP) measurements.
The nurse has just finished teaching a hypertensive patient about
the newly prescribed ramipril (Altace). Which patient statement
indicates that more teaching is needed?
a. "A little swelling around my lips and face is okay."
b. "The medication may not work as well if I take any aspirin."
c. "The doctor may order a blood potassium level occasionally."
d. "I will call the doctor if I notice that I have a frequent cough."
During change-of-shift report, the nurse obtains the following
information about a hypertensive patient who received the first
dose of nadolol (Corgard) during the previous shift. Which
information indicates that the patient needs immediate
intervention?
a. The patient's most recent blood pressure (BP) reading is 158/91
mm Hg.
b. The patient's pulse has dropped from 68 to 57 beats/minute.
c. The patient has developed wheezes throughout the lung fields.
d. The patient complains that the fingers and toes feel quite cold.
An older patient has been diagnosed with possible white coat
hypertension. Which action will the nurse plan to take next?
a. Schedule the patient for regular blood pressure (BP) checks in
the clinic.
b. Instruct the patient about the need to decrease stress levels.
c. Tell the patient how to self-monitor and record BPs at home.
d. Inform the patient that ambulatory blood pressure monitoring
will be needed.
After the nurse teaches the patient with stage 1 hypertension
about diet modifications that should be implemented, which diet
choice indicates that the teaching has been effective?
, a. The patient avoids eating nuts or nut butters.
b. The patient restricts intake of chicken and fish.
c. The patient has two cups of coffee in the morning.
d. The patient has a glass of low-fat milk with each meal.
Which information should the nurse include when teaching a
patient with newly diagnosed hypertension?
a. Increasing physical activity will control blood pressure (BP) for
most patients.
b. Most patients are able to control BP through dietary changes.
c. Annual BP checks are needed to monitor treatment
effectiveness.
d. Hypertension is usually asymptomatic until target organ
damage occurs.
The nurse on the intermediate care unit received change-of-shift
report on four patients with hypertension. Which patient should
the nurse assess first?
a. 43-year-old with a (blood pressure (BP) of 160/92 who is
complaining of chest pain
b. 52-year-old with a BP of 212/90 who has intermittent
claudication
c. 50-year-old with a BP of 190/104 who has a creatinine of 1.7
mg/dL
d. 48-year-old with a BP of 172/98 whose urine shows
microalbuminuria
The nurse is reviewing the laboratory test results for a patient who
has recently been diagnosed with hypertension. Which result is
most important to communicate to the health care provider?
a. Serum creatinine of 2.8 mg/dL
b. Serum potassium of 4.5 mEq/L
c. Serum hemoglobin of 14.7 g/dL
d. Blood glucose level of 96 mg/dL
A patient with a history of hypertension treated with a diuretic and
an angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor arrives in the
emergency department complaining of a severe headache and
nausea and has a blood pressure (BP) of 238/118 mm Hg. Which
question should the nurse ask first?
a. "Did you take any acetaminophen (Tylenol) today?"
b. "Have you been consistently taking your medications?"
c. "Have there been any recent stressful events in your life?"
d. "Have you recently taken any antihistamine medications?"
The nurse is assessing a patient who has been admitted to the
intensive care unit (ICU) with a hypertensive emergency. Which
finding is most important to report to the health care provider?
a. Urine output over 8 hours is 250 mL less than the fluid intake.
b. The patient cannot move the left arm and leg when asked to do
so.
c. Tremors are noted in the fingers when the patient extends the
arms.
d. The patient complains of a headache with pain at level 8/10 (0
to 10 scale).
Which action will the nurse in the hypertension clinic take in order
to obtain an accurate baseline blood pressure (BP) for a new
patient?
a. Deflate the BP cuff at a rate of 5 to 10 mm Hg per second.
b. Have the patient sit in a chair with the feet flat on the floor.
c. Assist the patient to the supine position for BP measurements.
d. Obtain two BP readings in the dominant arm and average the
results.
The nurse obtains the following information from a patient newly
diagnosed with prehypertension. Which finding is most important
to address with the patient?
a. Low dietary fiber intake
b. No regular aerobic exercise
c. Weight 5 pounds above ideal weight
d. Drinks a beer with dinner on most nights
Which action should the nurse take when administering the initial
dose of oral labetalol (Normodyne) to a patient with hypertension?
a. Encourage the use of hard candy to prevent dry mouth.
b. Instruct the patient to ask for help if heart palpitations occur.
c. Ask the patient to request assistance when getting out of bed.
d. Teach the patient that headaches may occur with this
medication.
After the nurse teaches the patient with stage 1 hypertension
about diet modifications that should be implemented, which diet
choice indicates that the teaching has been effective?
a. The patient avoids eating nuts or nut butters.
b. The patient restricts intake of chicken and fish.
c. The patient has two cups of coffee in the morning.
d. The patient has a glass of low-fat milk with each meal.
A patient has just been diagnosed with hypertension and has been
started on captopril (Capoten). Which information is important to
include when teaching the patient about this medication?
a. Check blood pressure (BP) in both arms before taking the
medication.
b. Increase fluid intake if dryness of the mouth is a problem.
c. Include high-potassium foods such as bananas in the diet.
d. Change position slowly to help prevent dizziness and falls.
Propranolol (Inderal) is prescribed for a patient diagnosed with
hypertension. The nurse should consult with the health care
provider before giving this medication when the patient reveals a
history of
a. asthma.
b. daily alcohol use.
c. peptic ulcer disease.
d. myocardial infarction (MI).
A 56-year-old patient who has no previous history of hypertension
or other health problems suddenly develops a blood pressure (BP)
,of 198/110 mm Hg. After reconfirming the BP, it is appropriate for
the nurse to tell the patient that
a. a BP recheck should be scheduled in a few weeks.
b. dietary sodium and fat content should be decreased.
c. there is an immediate danger of a stroke and hospitalization will
be required.
d. diagnosis of a possible cause, treatment, and ongoing
monitoring will be needed.
Which action will be included in the plan of care when the nurse is
caring for a patient who is receiving nicardipine (Cardene) to treat
a hypertensive emergency?
a. Keep the patient NPO to prevent aspiration caused by nausea
and possible vomiting.
b. Organize nursing activities so that the patient has undisturbed
sleep for 6 to 8 hours at night.
c. Assist the patient up in the chair for meals to avoid
complications associated with immobility.
d. Use an automated noninvasive blood pressure machine to
obtain frequent blood pressure (BP) measurements.
The nurse has just finished teaching a hypertensive patient about
the newly prescribed ramipril (Altace). Which patient statement
indicates that more teaching is needed?
a. "A little swelling around my lips and face is okay."
b. "The medication may not work as well if I take any aspirin."
c. "The doctor may order a blood potassium level occasionally."
d. "I will call the doctor if I notice that I have a frequent cough."
During change-of-shift report, the nurse obtains the following
information about a hypertensive patient who received the first
dose of nadolol (Corgard) during the previous shift. Which
information indicates that the patient needs immediate
intervention?
a. The patient's most recent blood pressure (BP) reading is 158/91
mm Hg.
b. The patient's pulse has dropped from 68 to 57 beats/minute.
c. The patient has developed wheezes throughout the lung fields.
d. The patient complains that the fingers and toes feel quite cold.
An older patient has been diagnosed with possible white coat
hypertension. Which action will the nurse plan to take next?
a. Schedule the patient for regular blood pressure (BP) checks in
the clinic.
b. Instruct the patient about the need to decrease stress levels.
c. Tell the patient how to self-monitor and record BPs at home.
d. Inform the patient that ambulatory blood pressure monitoring
will be needed.
After the nurse teaches the patient with stage 1 hypertension
about diet modifications that should be implemented, which diet
choice indicates that the teaching has been effective?
, a. The patient avoids eating nuts or nut butters.
b. The patient restricts intake of chicken and fish.
c. The patient has two cups of coffee in the morning.
d. The patient has a glass of low-fat milk with each meal.
Which information should the nurse include when teaching a
patient with newly diagnosed hypertension?
a. Increasing physical activity will control blood pressure (BP) for
most patients.
b. Most patients are able to control BP through dietary changes.
c. Annual BP checks are needed to monitor treatment
effectiveness.
d. Hypertension is usually asymptomatic until target organ
damage occurs.
The nurse on the intermediate care unit received change-of-shift
report on four patients with hypertension. Which patient should
the nurse assess first?
a. 43-year-old with a (blood pressure (BP) of 160/92 who is
complaining of chest pain
b. 52-year-old with a BP of 212/90 who has intermittent
claudication
c. 50-year-old with a BP of 190/104 who has a creatinine of 1.7
mg/dL
d. 48-year-old with a BP of 172/98 whose urine shows
microalbuminuria
The nurse is reviewing the laboratory test results for a patient who
has recently been diagnosed with hypertension. Which result is
most important to communicate to the health care provider?
a. Serum creatinine of 2.8 mg/dL
b. Serum potassium of 4.5 mEq/L
c. Serum hemoglobin of 14.7 g/dL
d. Blood glucose level of 96 mg/dL
A patient with a history of hypertension treated with a diuretic and
an angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor arrives in the
emergency department complaining of a severe headache and
nausea and has a blood pressure (BP) of 238/118 mm Hg. Which
question should the nurse ask first?
a. "Did you take any acetaminophen (Tylenol) today?"
b. "Have you been consistently taking your medications?"
c. "Have there been any recent stressful events in your life?"
d. "Have you recently taken any antihistamine medications?"
The nurse is assessing a patient who has been admitted to the
intensive care unit (ICU) with a hypertensive emergency. Which
finding is most important to report to the health care provider?
a. Urine output over 8 hours is 250 mL less than the fluid intake.
b. The patient cannot move the left arm and leg when asked to do
so.
c. Tremors are noted in the fingers when the patient extends the
arms.
d. The patient complains of a headache with pain at level 8/10 (0
to 10 scale).
