Perioperative nursing and surgical recovery
150 practice questions with answer rationales
COURSE Perioperative nursing care
QUESTIONS 150
PREPARED August 2026
,Perioperative nursing care
Exam Overview
This academic exam resource gives Nursing School a focused 150-question practice set for
Perioperative nursing care. The material is written to support careful review, practical reasoning, and
steady preparation without promotional claims or repeated title wording. Questions use clear
professional language, credible answer choices, and concise rationales that help students understand
why one option is best. The document provides high-quality academic material for independent
revision, classroom reinforcement, and identifying knowledge gaps before assessments. Students
should pair it with course notes, textbooks, instructor guidance, and current academic standards for
the strongest preparation. Each item supports careful review, confident practice, and steady.
Question 1: What is the primary purpose of the preoperative nursing assessment?
A. To replace the surgeon's informed consent process
B. To schedule postoperative rehabilitation
C. To determine the final surgical incision site
D. To identify risks and establish a baseline before surgery
Answer: D
Rationale: The assessment identifies risks, allergies, baseline status, and needs for safe perioperative
care.
Question 2: A patient asks why they must remove jewelry before surgery. What is the best
nursing explanation?
A. Jewelry is removed because it changes anesthesia dose
B. Jewelry is removed only to prevent theft
C. Jewelry removal is optional if it is not valuable
D. Jewelry can interfere with monitoring and may increase injury risk
Answer: D
Rationale: Jewelry can interfere with equipment and increase risk of burns, edema, or loss.
Question 3: Which action best describes surgical skin preparation?
A. Applying lotion to prevent dryness
B. Shaving the site immediately before surgery
C. Cleaning the operative area with an antiseptic agent
D. Covering the site with a dry sterile dressing
Answer: C
Rationale: Skin prep reduces microorganisms at the operative site using an antiseptic solution.
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,Perioperative nursing care
Question 4: Which term refers to the period before surgery when nursing care focuses on
assessment, preparation, and teaching?
A. Intraoperative phase
B. Rehabilitation phase
C. Postanesthesia phase
D. Preoperative phase
Answer: D
Rationale: The preoperative phase occurs before the procedure and includes assessment, patient
teaching, and preparation for surgery. Intraoperative care happens in the operating room, so it does
not fit this definition.
Question 5: Why is obtaining a baseline set of vital signs before surgery important?
A. It identifies the exact anesthetic agent needed
B. It confirms the surgical site marking
C. It replaces the need for a physical examination
D. It provides a reference for comparing postoperative changes
Answer: D
Rationale: Baseline vital signs help the nurse recognize early deviations after anesthesia or surgery,
such as hypotension or tachycardia. They do not determine the anesthetic drug or substitute for a full
preoperative assessment.
Question 6: Which finding should the nurse report before surgery?
A. Stable vital signs
B. Patient voided 1 hour ago
C. New onset fever and cough
D. Signed surgical consent
Answer: C
Rationale: Possible infection or respiratory illness can increase perioperative risk and should be
reported.
Question 7: A patient scheduled for abdominal surgery asks why the nurse is teaching
deep-breathing exercises before the operation. What is the best response?
A. "It prevents all postoperative pain."
B. "It is mainly used to lower your blood glucose."
C. "It replaces the need for incentive spirometry."
D. "It helps keep your lungs expanded and lowers the risk of atelectasis."
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, Perioperative nursing care
Answer: D
Rationale: Deep-breathing exercises promote lung expansion and reduce postoperative pulmonary
complications such as atelectasis. They do not eliminate pain, and they are not a substitute for
incentive spirometry or glucose control.
Question 8: What is the purpose of the surgical informed consent process?
A. To document that the nurse explained the procedure in legal terms
B. To confirm that the anesthesia provider has started medication
C. To allow the surgeon to skip the preoperative assessment
D. To show that the patient understands and voluntarily agrees to the operation
Answer: D
Rationale: Informed consent verifies that the patient understands the procedure, risks, and
alternatives and agrees voluntarily. The nurse may witness the signature, but the nurse does not
replace the surgeon's explanation.
Question 9: A patient is scheduled for same-day surgery and reports eating toast 3 hours
ago. What should the nurse do?
A. Proceed because toast is a light meal
B. Tell the patient to eat nothing else and keep the appointment
C. Give antacid medication and continue as planned
D. Notify the surgical team because the patient has not met fasting guidelines
Answer: D
Rationale: Recent solid food intake increases the risk of aspiration during anesthesia, so the surgical
team must be notified. A light meal still violates fasting requirements, and antacids do not correct the
aspiration risk.
Question 10: What is the main purpose of surgical skin antisepsis before an incision?
A. To sterilize the entire body surface
B. To prevent the need for prophylactic antibiotics
C. To close the wound edges before surgery
D. To reduce transient and resident skin microorganisms at the incision site
Answer: D
Rationale: Skin antisepsis lowers the microbial load at the operative site to decrease surgical site
infection risk. It does not sterilize the skin completely or eliminate the need for other
infection-prevention measures.
Question 11: Before a thyroidectomy, which statement by the patient requires follow-up by
the nurse?
Page 3 of 43
150 practice questions with answer rationales
COURSE Perioperative nursing care
QUESTIONS 150
PREPARED August 2026
,Perioperative nursing care
Exam Overview
This academic exam resource gives Nursing School a focused 150-question practice set for
Perioperative nursing care. The material is written to support careful review, practical reasoning, and
steady preparation without promotional claims or repeated title wording. Questions use clear
professional language, credible answer choices, and concise rationales that help students understand
why one option is best. The document provides high-quality academic material for independent
revision, classroom reinforcement, and identifying knowledge gaps before assessments. Students
should pair it with course notes, textbooks, instructor guidance, and current academic standards for
the strongest preparation. Each item supports careful review, confident practice, and steady.
Question 1: What is the primary purpose of the preoperative nursing assessment?
A. To replace the surgeon's informed consent process
B. To schedule postoperative rehabilitation
C. To determine the final surgical incision site
D. To identify risks and establish a baseline before surgery
Answer: D
Rationale: The assessment identifies risks, allergies, baseline status, and needs for safe perioperative
care.
Question 2: A patient asks why they must remove jewelry before surgery. What is the best
nursing explanation?
A. Jewelry is removed because it changes anesthesia dose
B. Jewelry is removed only to prevent theft
C. Jewelry removal is optional if it is not valuable
D. Jewelry can interfere with monitoring and may increase injury risk
Answer: D
Rationale: Jewelry can interfere with equipment and increase risk of burns, edema, or loss.
Question 3: Which action best describes surgical skin preparation?
A. Applying lotion to prevent dryness
B. Shaving the site immediately before surgery
C. Cleaning the operative area with an antiseptic agent
D. Covering the site with a dry sterile dressing
Answer: C
Rationale: Skin prep reduces microorganisms at the operative site using an antiseptic solution.
Page 1 of 43
,Perioperative nursing care
Question 4: Which term refers to the period before surgery when nursing care focuses on
assessment, preparation, and teaching?
A. Intraoperative phase
B. Rehabilitation phase
C. Postanesthesia phase
D. Preoperative phase
Answer: D
Rationale: The preoperative phase occurs before the procedure and includes assessment, patient
teaching, and preparation for surgery. Intraoperative care happens in the operating room, so it does
not fit this definition.
Question 5: Why is obtaining a baseline set of vital signs before surgery important?
A. It identifies the exact anesthetic agent needed
B. It confirms the surgical site marking
C. It replaces the need for a physical examination
D. It provides a reference for comparing postoperative changes
Answer: D
Rationale: Baseline vital signs help the nurse recognize early deviations after anesthesia or surgery,
such as hypotension or tachycardia. They do not determine the anesthetic drug or substitute for a full
preoperative assessment.
Question 6: Which finding should the nurse report before surgery?
A. Stable vital signs
B. Patient voided 1 hour ago
C. New onset fever and cough
D. Signed surgical consent
Answer: C
Rationale: Possible infection or respiratory illness can increase perioperative risk and should be
reported.
Question 7: A patient scheduled for abdominal surgery asks why the nurse is teaching
deep-breathing exercises before the operation. What is the best response?
A. "It prevents all postoperative pain."
B. "It is mainly used to lower your blood glucose."
C. "It replaces the need for incentive spirometry."
D. "It helps keep your lungs expanded and lowers the risk of atelectasis."
Page 2 of 43
, Perioperative nursing care
Answer: D
Rationale: Deep-breathing exercises promote lung expansion and reduce postoperative pulmonary
complications such as atelectasis. They do not eliminate pain, and they are not a substitute for
incentive spirometry or glucose control.
Question 8: What is the purpose of the surgical informed consent process?
A. To document that the nurse explained the procedure in legal terms
B. To confirm that the anesthesia provider has started medication
C. To allow the surgeon to skip the preoperative assessment
D. To show that the patient understands and voluntarily agrees to the operation
Answer: D
Rationale: Informed consent verifies that the patient understands the procedure, risks, and
alternatives and agrees voluntarily. The nurse may witness the signature, but the nurse does not
replace the surgeon's explanation.
Question 9: A patient is scheduled for same-day surgery and reports eating toast 3 hours
ago. What should the nurse do?
A. Proceed because toast is a light meal
B. Tell the patient to eat nothing else and keep the appointment
C. Give antacid medication and continue as planned
D. Notify the surgical team because the patient has not met fasting guidelines
Answer: D
Rationale: Recent solid food intake increases the risk of aspiration during anesthesia, so the surgical
team must be notified. A light meal still violates fasting requirements, and antacids do not correct the
aspiration risk.
Question 10: What is the main purpose of surgical skin antisepsis before an incision?
A. To sterilize the entire body surface
B. To prevent the need for prophylactic antibiotics
C. To close the wound edges before surgery
D. To reduce transient and resident skin microorganisms at the incision site
Answer: D
Rationale: Skin antisepsis lowers the microbial load at the operative site to decrease surgical site
infection risk. It does not sterilize the skin completely or eliminate the need for other
infection-prevention measures.
Question 11: Before a thyroidectomy, which statement by the patient requires follow-up by
the nurse?
Page 3 of 43
