Page 1 of 85
LEIFER'S INTRODUCTION TO MATERNITY AND PEDIATRIC NURSING,
10TH EDITION EXAM QUESTIONS AND CORRECT ANSWERS LATEST
EDITION 2026
Leifer's Introduction to Maternity and Pediatric Nursing, 10th Edition - QUESTIONS WITH
RATIONALES
SECTION 1: HISTORICAL FOUNDATIONS & CURRENT PRACTICE (Questions 1–30)
1. Which historical practice in maternity care marked a significant shift from home births to
hospital-based deliveries in the early 20th century?
A) The introduction of midwife-led home births
B) The widespread use of twilight sleep and medicalized childbirth
C) The establishment of freestanding birth centers
D) The universal adoption of water birth techniques
Answer: B
Rationale: In the early 1900s, childbirth in the United States moved from homes to hospitals
with increased medical intervention, including sedation ("twilight sleep") and physician-
managed deliveries.
2. The concept of family-centered maternity care emphasizes which of the following
principles?
A) The physician should make all decisions to ensure efficiency
B) The family is central to the planning, delivery, and evaluation of care
C) Mothers should be separated from their infants to promote rest
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,Page 2 of 85
D) Visitation should be restricted to reduce infection risk
Answer: B
Rationale: Family-centered care recognizes the family as a constant in the child's life and the
mother as a partner in care. It involves collaboration, open communication, and honoring family
preferences.
3. Which nursing pioneer is most closely associated with improving sanitation and reducing
maternal mortality during childbirth?
A) Clara Barton
B) Florence Nightingale
C) Mary Eliza Mahoney
D) Dorothea Dix
Answer: B
Rationale: Florence Nightingale revolutionized nursing through emphasis on sanitation, hygiene,
and evidence-based observation. Her principles laid the groundwork for infection control that
dramatically reduced mortality in maternity wards.
4. Evidence-based practice (EBP) in maternity and pediatric nursing integrates which three
components?
A) Tradition, intuition, and cost containment
B) Best research evidence, clinical expertise, and patient values
C) Staff preferences, institutional policy, and convenience
D) Physician orders, insurance requirements, and legal mandates
Answer: B
Rationale: EBP combines the best available research evidence with the clinician's expertise and
the patient's unique values, preferences, and circumstances.
5. Which medical pioneer discovered the relationship between the incidence of puerperal
fever and unwashed hands?
A) Karl Credé
B) Ignaz Semmelweis
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C) Louis Pasteur
D) Joseph Lister
Answer: B
Rationale: Ignaz Semmelweis deduced that puerperal fever was septic, contagious, and
transmitted by the unwashed hands of physicians and medical students.
6. A patient chooses to have the certified nurse-midwife (CNM) provide care during her
pregnancy. What does the CNM's scope of practice include?
A) Practice independent from medical supervision
B) Comprehensive prenatal care
C) Attendance at all deliveries
D) Cesarean sections
Answer: B
Rationale: The CNM provides comprehensive prenatal and postnatal care, attends
uncomplicated deliveries, and ensures that a backup physician is available in case of unforeseen
problems.
7. Which factor has most contributed to the decline in infant mortality in the United States
over the past century?
A) Increased use of formula feeding
B) Improvements in prenatal care, sanitation, and immunizations
C) Widespread use of antibiotics for all neonates
D) Mandatory hospitalization for every birth
Answer: B
Rationale: Major reductions in infant mortality resulted from public health advances: better
prenatal care, improved sanitation, safe water, and immunizations.
8. What is the focus of current maternity practice?
A) Hospital births for the majority of women
B) The traditional family unit
C) Separation of labor rooms from delivery rooms
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D) A quality family experience for each patient
Answer: D
Rationale: Current maternity practice focuses on a high-quality family experience for all
families, emphasizing family-centered care.
9. Who advocated the establishment of the Children's Bureau?
A) Lillian Wald
B) Florence Nightingale
C) Florence Kelly
D) Dorothea Dix
Answer: A
Rationale: Lillian Wald is credited with suggesting the establishment of a federal Children's
Bureau.
10. What was the result of research done in the 1930s by the Children's Bureau?
A) Children with heart problems are now cared for by pediatric cardiologists
B) The Child Abuse and Prevention Act was passed
C) Hot lunch programs were established in many schools
D) Children's asylums were founded
Answer: C
Rationale: School hot lunch programs were developed as a result of research by the Children's
Bureau on the effects of economic depression on children.
11. Which government program was implemented to increase the educational exposure of
preschool children?
A) WIC
B) Title XIX of Medicaid
C) The Children's Charter
D) Head Start
Answer: D
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LEIFER'S INTRODUCTION TO MATERNITY AND PEDIATRIC NURSING,
10TH EDITION EXAM QUESTIONS AND CORRECT ANSWERS LATEST
EDITION 2026
Leifer's Introduction to Maternity and Pediatric Nursing, 10th Edition - QUESTIONS WITH
RATIONALES
SECTION 1: HISTORICAL FOUNDATIONS & CURRENT PRACTICE (Questions 1–30)
1. Which historical practice in maternity care marked a significant shift from home births to
hospital-based deliveries in the early 20th century?
A) The introduction of midwife-led home births
B) The widespread use of twilight sleep and medicalized childbirth
C) The establishment of freestanding birth centers
D) The universal adoption of water birth techniques
Answer: B
Rationale: In the early 1900s, childbirth in the United States moved from homes to hospitals
with increased medical intervention, including sedation ("twilight sleep") and physician-
managed deliveries.
2. The concept of family-centered maternity care emphasizes which of the following
principles?
A) The physician should make all decisions to ensure efficiency
B) The family is central to the planning, delivery, and evaluation of care
C) Mothers should be separated from their infants to promote rest
1|Page
,Page 2 of 85
D) Visitation should be restricted to reduce infection risk
Answer: B
Rationale: Family-centered care recognizes the family as a constant in the child's life and the
mother as a partner in care. It involves collaboration, open communication, and honoring family
preferences.
3. Which nursing pioneer is most closely associated with improving sanitation and reducing
maternal mortality during childbirth?
A) Clara Barton
B) Florence Nightingale
C) Mary Eliza Mahoney
D) Dorothea Dix
Answer: B
Rationale: Florence Nightingale revolutionized nursing through emphasis on sanitation, hygiene,
and evidence-based observation. Her principles laid the groundwork for infection control that
dramatically reduced mortality in maternity wards.
4. Evidence-based practice (EBP) in maternity and pediatric nursing integrates which three
components?
A) Tradition, intuition, and cost containment
B) Best research evidence, clinical expertise, and patient values
C) Staff preferences, institutional policy, and convenience
D) Physician orders, insurance requirements, and legal mandates
Answer: B
Rationale: EBP combines the best available research evidence with the clinician's expertise and
the patient's unique values, preferences, and circumstances.
5. Which medical pioneer discovered the relationship between the incidence of puerperal
fever and unwashed hands?
A) Karl Credé
B) Ignaz Semmelweis
2|Page
,Page 3 of 85
C) Louis Pasteur
D) Joseph Lister
Answer: B
Rationale: Ignaz Semmelweis deduced that puerperal fever was septic, contagious, and
transmitted by the unwashed hands of physicians and medical students.
6. A patient chooses to have the certified nurse-midwife (CNM) provide care during her
pregnancy. What does the CNM's scope of practice include?
A) Practice independent from medical supervision
B) Comprehensive prenatal care
C) Attendance at all deliveries
D) Cesarean sections
Answer: B
Rationale: The CNM provides comprehensive prenatal and postnatal care, attends
uncomplicated deliveries, and ensures that a backup physician is available in case of unforeseen
problems.
7. Which factor has most contributed to the decline in infant mortality in the United States
over the past century?
A) Increased use of formula feeding
B) Improvements in prenatal care, sanitation, and immunizations
C) Widespread use of antibiotics for all neonates
D) Mandatory hospitalization for every birth
Answer: B
Rationale: Major reductions in infant mortality resulted from public health advances: better
prenatal care, improved sanitation, safe water, and immunizations.
8. What is the focus of current maternity practice?
A) Hospital births for the majority of women
B) The traditional family unit
C) Separation of labor rooms from delivery rooms
3|Page
, Page 4 of 85
D) A quality family experience for each patient
Answer: D
Rationale: Current maternity practice focuses on a high-quality family experience for all
families, emphasizing family-centered care.
9. Who advocated the establishment of the Children's Bureau?
A) Lillian Wald
B) Florence Nightingale
C) Florence Kelly
D) Dorothea Dix
Answer: A
Rationale: Lillian Wald is credited with suggesting the establishment of a federal Children's
Bureau.
10. What was the result of research done in the 1930s by the Children's Bureau?
A) Children with heart problems are now cared for by pediatric cardiologists
B) The Child Abuse and Prevention Act was passed
C) Hot lunch programs were established in many schools
D) Children's asylums were founded
Answer: C
Rationale: School hot lunch programs were developed as a result of research by the Children's
Bureau on the effects of economic depression on children.
11. Which government program was implemented to increase the educational exposure of
preschool children?
A) WIC
B) Title XIX of Medicaid
C) The Children's Charter
D) Head Start
Answer: D
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