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EVIDENCE-BASED PHYSICAL EXAMINATION EXAM WITH
VERIFIED ANSWERS DETAILED RATIONALES GRADED A+
Evidence-Based Physical Examination: Best Practices for Health & Well-Being — Test Bank
SECTION 1: FOUNDATIONS OF EVIDENCE-BASED ASSESSMENT (Questions 1–25)
1. After completing an initial assessment of a patient, the nurse has charted that his
respirations are eupneic and his pulse is 58 beats per minute. These types of data would be:
A. Objective.
B. Reflective.
C. Subjective.
D. Introspective.
Rationale: Objective data are what the health professional observes by inspecting, percussing,
palpating, and auscultating during the physical examination. The nurse directly observed and
measured the respirations and pulse. Subjective data is what the person says about himself or
herself during history taking. The terms reflective and introspective are not used to describe
data.
2. A patient tells the nurse that he is very nervous, is nauseated, and feels hot. These types of
data would be:
A. Objective.
B. Reflective.
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C. Subjective.
D. Introspective.
Rationale: Subjective data are what the person says about himself or herself during history
taking. Objective data are what the health professional observes by inspecting, percussing,
palpating, and auscultating during the physical examination. The terms reflective and
introspective are not used to describe data.
3. The patient's record, laboratory studies, objective data, and subjective data combine to
form the:
A. Data base.
B. Admitting data.
C. Financial statement.
D. Discharge summary.
Rationale: Together with the patient's record and laboratory studies, the objective and
subjective data form the data base. The other items are not part of the patient's record,
laboratory studies, or data.
4. When listening to a patient's breath sounds, the nurse is unsure of a sound that is heard.
The nurse's next action should be to:
A. Immediately notify the patient's physician.
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.
Rationale: When unsure of a sound that is heard, the nurse validates the data by asking a
coworker to listen. If the sound is abnormal, the nurse should notify the physician.
Documentation should occur after validation.
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5. The nurse is conducting a class for new graduate nurses. During the teaching session, the
nurse should keep in mind that novice nurses, without a background of skills and experience
from which to draw, are more likely to make their decisions using:
A. Intuition.
B. A set of rules.
C. Articles in journals.
D. Advice from supervisors.
Rationale: Novice nurses operate from a set of rules (e.g., the nursing process, agency policies)
to guide decision-making. Expert nurses have developed intuition and pattern recognition
through experience.
6. Expert nurses learn to attend to a pattern of assessment data and act without consciously
labeling it. These responses are referred to as:
A. Intuition.
B. The nursing process.
C. Clinical knowledge.
D. Diagnostic reasoning.
Rationale: Intuition is characterized by pattern recognition and immediate action based on a
deep understanding of clinical situations. It is not a conscious, step-by-step process.
7. The nurse is reviewing information about evidence-based practice (EBP). Which statement
best reflects EBP?
A. EBP relies on tradition for support of best practices.
B. EBP is simply the use of best practice techniques.
C. EBP emphasizes the use of best evidence with the clinician's experience.
D. The patient's own preferences are not important with EBP.
Rationale: EBP integrates the best available research evidence with clinical expertise and
patient preferences and values. It does not rely solely on tradition or technique.
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8. The nurse is conducting a staff in-service on critical thinking. Which of the following is a
critical thinking skill?
A. Interpreting
B. Planning
C. Implementing
D. Evaluating
Rationale: Interpreting is a critical thinking skill that involves understanding and explaining the
meaning of data. Planning, implementing, and evaluating are phases of the nursing process.
9. Which critical thinking skill helps the nurse see relationships among the data?
A. Validation
B. Clustering related cues
C. Identifying gaps in data
D. Distinguishing relevant from irrelevant
Rationale: Clustering related cues helps the nurse see relationships among the data, identifying
patterns that support diagnostic reasoning.
10. The nurse knows that developing appropriate nursing interventions for a patient relies on
the appropriateness of the:
A. Nursing diagnosis.
B. Medical diagnosis.
C. Admission diagnosis.
D. Collaborative diagnosis.
Rationale: An accurate nursing diagnosis provides the basis for selecting appropriate nursing
interventions. Medical and admission diagnoses do not direct nursing interventions.
11. The nursing process is a sequential method of problem solving that includes which steps?
A. Assessment, treatment, planning, implementation, and evaluation
B. Assessment, diagnosis, planning, implementation, and evaluation
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EVIDENCE-BASED PHYSICAL EXAMINATION EXAM WITH
VERIFIED ANSWERS DETAILED RATIONALES GRADED A+
Evidence-Based Physical Examination: Best Practices for Health & Well-Being — Test Bank
SECTION 1: FOUNDATIONS OF EVIDENCE-BASED ASSESSMENT (Questions 1–25)
1. After completing an initial assessment of a patient, the nurse has charted that his
respirations are eupneic and his pulse is 58 beats per minute. These types of data would be:
A. Objective.
B. Reflective.
C. Subjective.
D. Introspective.
Rationale: Objective data are what the health professional observes by inspecting, percussing,
palpating, and auscultating during the physical examination. The nurse directly observed and
measured the respirations and pulse. Subjective data is what the person says about himself or
herself during history taking. The terms reflective and introspective are not used to describe
data.
2. A patient tells the nurse that he is very nervous, is nauseated, and feels hot. These types of
data would be:
A. Objective.
B. Reflective.
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,Page 2 of 75
C. Subjective.
D. Introspective.
Rationale: Subjective data are what the person says about himself or herself during history
taking. Objective data are what the health professional observes by inspecting, percussing,
palpating, and auscultating during the physical examination. The terms reflective and
introspective are not used to describe data.
3. The patient's record, laboratory studies, objective data, and subjective data combine to
form the:
A. Data base.
B. Admitting data.
C. Financial statement.
D. Discharge summary.
Rationale: Together with the patient's record and laboratory studies, the objective and
subjective data form the data base. The other items are not part of the patient's record,
laboratory studies, or data.
4. When listening to a patient's breath sounds, the nurse is unsure of a sound that is heard.
The nurse's next action should be to:
A. Immediately notify the patient's physician.
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.
Rationale: When unsure of a sound that is heard, the nurse validates the data by asking a
coworker to listen. If the sound is abnormal, the nurse should notify the physician.
Documentation should occur after validation.
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5. The nurse is conducting a class for new graduate nurses. During the teaching session, the
nurse should keep in mind that novice nurses, without a background of skills and experience
from which to draw, are more likely to make their decisions using:
A. Intuition.
B. A set of rules.
C. Articles in journals.
D. Advice from supervisors.
Rationale: Novice nurses operate from a set of rules (e.g., the nursing process, agency policies)
to guide decision-making. Expert nurses have developed intuition and pattern recognition
through experience.
6. Expert nurses learn to attend to a pattern of assessment data and act without consciously
labeling it. These responses are referred to as:
A. Intuition.
B. The nursing process.
C. Clinical knowledge.
D. Diagnostic reasoning.
Rationale: Intuition is characterized by pattern recognition and immediate action based on a
deep understanding of clinical situations. It is not a conscious, step-by-step process.
7. The nurse is reviewing information about evidence-based practice (EBP). Which statement
best reflects EBP?
A. EBP relies on tradition for support of best practices.
B. EBP is simply the use of best practice techniques.
C. EBP emphasizes the use of best evidence with the clinician's experience.
D. The patient's own preferences are not important with EBP.
Rationale: EBP integrates the best available research evidence with clinical expertise and
patient preferences and values. It does not rely solely on tradition or technique.
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, Page 4 of 75
8. The nurse is conducting a staff in-service on critical thinking. Which of the following is a
critical thinking skill?
A. Interpreting
B. Planning
C. Implementing
D. Evaluating
Rationale: Interpreting is a critical thinking skill that involves understanding and explaining the
meaning of data. Planning, implementing, and evaluating are phases of the nursing process.
9. Which critical thinking skill helps the nurse see relationships among the data?
A. Validation
B. Clustering related cues
C. Identifying gaps in data
D. Distinguishing relevant from irrelevant
Rationale: Clustering related cues helps the nurse see relationships among the data, identifying
patterns that support diagnostic reasoning.
10. The nurse knows that developing appropriate nursing interventions for a patient relies on
the appropriateness of the:
A. Nursing diagnosis.
B. Medical diagnosis.
C. Admission diagnosis.
D. Collaborative diagnosis.
Rationale: An accurate nursing diagnosis provides the basis for selecting appropriate nursing
interventions. Medical and admission diagnoses do not direct nursing interventions.
11. The nursing process is a sequential method of problem solving that includes which steps?
A. Assessment, treatment, planning, implementation, and evaluation
B. Assessment, diagnosis, planning, implementation, and evaluation
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