NURS 5220 Advanced Health
Assessment Exam Practice Questions
And Correct Answers (Verified Answers)
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1. A 58-year-old patient presents for a comprehensive health assessment
and reports fatigue, intermittent headaches, and difficulty sleeping.
Which approach best demonstrates the purpose of a comprehensive
health history?
A. Focus only on the symptoms that prompted the appointment
B. Obtain the patient's family history before discussing current
concerns
C. Integrate the patient's current symptoms, past history,
medications, lifestyle, psychosocial factors, and preventive health
needs
D. Complete the physical examination before asking about the
patient's concerns
A comprehensive health history integrates current concerns with past
medical history, medications, family and social history, health behaviors,
psychosocial factors, and preventive needs to establish a complete clinical
picture.
2. During an interview, a patient becomes tearful while discussing a
recent loss. What is the most therapeutic response by the advanced
practice nurse?
A. "Try not to worry because these feelings will eventually pass."
, B. "I can see that this is difficult for you. Would you like to tell me
more about what you are experiencing?"
C. "Let's move on to another part of the history."
D. "You should consider talking with a counselor about this."
Acknowledging the patient's emotion and inviting further discussion
demonstrates empathy and allows the patient to determine how much
information to share.
3. Which question best assesses the patient's chief concern during the
opening phase of an interview?
A. "Have you had any previous surgeries?"
B. "What medications are you currently taking?"
C. "What brings you in today?"
D. "Does anyone in your family have diabetes?"
An open-ended question such as "What brings you in today?" encourages
the patient to describe the primary concern in their own words and
establishes the agenda for the encounter.
4. A patient reports abdominal pain. Which question most specifically
assesses the quality of the pain?
A. "When did the pain begin?"
B. "Where does the pain occur?"
C. "How would you describe the pain—for example, sharp, burning,
cramping, or aching?"
D. "What makes the pain better?"
Pain quality describes the patient's subjective characterization of the
sensation, such as sharp, burning, aching, pressure-like, or cramping.
5. A patient reports chest discomfort that occurs predictably after
climbing several flights of stairs and resolves within several minutes of
resting. Which finding is most consistent with stable angina?
A. Chest pain occurring only during sleep
B. Predictable exertional substernal pressure relieved by rest
, C. Sudden chest pain associated with fever and coughing
D. Sharp chest pain that is reproducible with palpation
Stable angina typically produces predictable myocardial ischemic
discomfort with exertion that improves when the cardiac workload
decreases, often with rest.
6. A 64-year-old patient develops new substernal chest pressure
associated with diaphoresis, nausea, and shortness of breath. What is
the most appropriate interpretation?
A. Gastroesophageal reflux is the most likely explanation
B. Musculoskeletal chest pain should be assumed
C. Acute coronary syndrome must be considered and evaluated
urgently
D. Stable angina is confirmed because the pain is substernal
New substernal pressure accompanied by autonomic symptoms such as
diaphoresis and nausea is concerning for acute coronary syndrome and
requires urgent evaluation.
7. Which characteristic most strongly supports pleuritic rather than
ischemic chest pain?
A. Pressure occurring during exertion
B. Radiation to the left arm
C. Sharp pain that worsens with deep inspiration or coughing
D. Associated diaphoresis and nausea
Pleuritic pain arises from irritation of the pleural surfaces and typically
becomes sharper or more severe with inspiration or coughing.
8. A patient with heart failure reports awakening several hours after
going to sleep with severe shortness of breath that improves after
sitting upright. This symptom is known as:
A. Orthostatic dyspnea
B. Paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea
, C. Pleuritic dyspnea
D. Exertional dyspnea
Paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea is sudden nighttime breathlessness that
awakens the patient and is commonly associated with pulmonary
congestion from heart failure.
9. Which patient description is most characteristic of orthopnea?
A. "I become short of breath only after climbing stairs."
B. "I suddenly wake up gasping after several hours of sleep."
C. "I become short of breath when I lie flat, but I feel better when I
sit up."
D. "My breathing hurts whenever I take a deep breath."
Orthopnea is dyspnea occurring while supine that improves when the
patient sits or stands upright, commonly reflecting increased pulmonary
venous pressure.
10. A patient presents with dyspnea, bilateral crackles, orthopnea,
and dependent lower-extremity edema. Which condition should be
strongly considered?
A. Isolated bacterial bronchitis
B. Uncomplicated asthma
C. Congestive heart failure
D. Pulmonary tuberculosis
The combination of dyspnea, pulmonary crackles, orthopnea, and
peripheral edema strongly suggests volume overload associated with heart
failure.
11. During cardiac auscultation, the first heart sound is heard most
prominently at the apex. What event produces S1?
A. Closure of the mitral and tricuspid valves
B. Closure of the aortic and pulmonic valves
C. Rapid ventricular filling
D. Atrial contraction
Assessment Exam Practice Questions
And Correct Answers (Verified Answers)
Plus Rationale 2027 Q&A| Instant
Download Pdf.
1. A 58-year-old patient presents for a comprehensive health assessment
and reports fatigue, intermittent headaches, and difficulty sleeping.
Which approach best demonstrates the purpose of a comprehensive
health history?
A. Focus only on the symptoms that prompted the appointment
B. Obtain the patient's family history before discussing current
concerns
C. Integrate the patient's current symptoms, past history,
medications, lifestyle, psychosocial factors, and preventive health
needs
D. Complete the physical examination before asking about the
patient's concerns
A comprehensive health history integrates current concerns with past
medical history, medications, family and social history, health behaviors,
psychosocial factors, and preventive needs to establish a complete clinical
picture.
2. During an interview, a patient becomes tearful while discussing a
recent loss. What is the most therapeutic response by the advanced
practice nurse?
A. "Try not to worry because these feelings will eventually pass."
, B. "I can see that this is difficult for you. Would you like to tell me
more about what you are experiencing?"
C. "Let's move on to another part of the history."
D. "You should consider talking with a counselor about this."
Acknowledging the patient's emotion and inviting further discussion
demonstrates empathy and allows the patient to determine how much
information to share.
3. Which question best assesses the patient's chief concern during the
opening phase of an interview?
A. "Have you had any previous surgeries?"
B. "What medications are you currently taking?"
C. "What brings you in today?"
D. "Does anyone in your family have diabetes?"
An open-ended question such as "What brings you in today?" encourages
the patient to describe the primary concern in their own words and
establishes the agenda for the encounter.
4. A patient reports abdominal pain. Which question most specifically
assesses the quality of the pain?
A. "When did the pain begin?"
B. "Where does the pain occur?"
C. "How would you describe the pain—for example, sharp, burning,
cramping, or aching?"
D. "What makes the pain better?"
Pain quality describes the patient's subjective characterization of the
sensation, such as sharp, burning, aching, pressure-like, or cramping.
5. A patient reports chest discomfort that occurs predictably after
climbing several flights of stairs and resolves within several minutes of
resting. Which finding is most consistent with stable angina?
A. Chest pain occurring only during sleep
B. Predictable exertional substernal pressure relieved by rest
, C. Sudden chest pain associated with fever and coughing
D. Sharp chest pain that is reproducible with palpation
Stable angina typically produces predictable myocardial ischemic
discomfort with exertion that improves when the cardiac workload
decreases, often with rest.
6. A 64-year-old patient develops new substernal chest pressure
associated with diaphoresis, nausea, and shortness of breath. What is
the most appropriate interpretation?
A. Gastroesophageal reflux is the most likely explanation
B. Musculoskeletal chest pain should be assumed
C. Acute coronary syndrome must be considered and evaluated
urgently
D. Stable angina is confirmed because the pain is substernal
New substernal pressure accompanied by autonomic symptoms such as
diaphoresis and nausea is concerning for acute coronary syndrome and
requires urgent evaluation.
7. Which characteristic most strongly supports pleuritic rather than
ischemic chest pain?
A. Pressure occurring during exertion
B. Radiation to the left arm
C. Sharp pain that worsens with deep inspiration or coughing
D. Associated diaphoresis and nausea
Pleuritic pain arises from irritation of the pleural surfaces and typically
becomes sharper or more severe with inspiration or coughing.
8. A patient with heart failure reports awakening several hours after
going to sleep with severe shortness of breath that improves after
sitting upright. This symptom is known as:
A. Orthostatic dyspnea
B. Paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea
, C. Pleuritic dyspnea
D. Exertional dyspnea
Paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea is sudden nighttime breathlessness that
awakens the patient and is commonly associated with pulmonary
congestion from heart failure.
9. Which patient description is most characteristic of orthopnea?
A. "I become short of breath only after climbing stairs."
B. "I suddenly wake up gasping after several hours of sleep."
C. "I become short of breath when I lie flat, but I feel better when I
sit up."
D. "My breathing hurts whenever I take a deep breath."
Orthopnea is dyspnea occurring while supine that improves when the
patient sits or stands upright, commonly reflecting increased pulmonary
venous pressure.
10. A patient presents with dyspnea, bilateral crackles, orthopnea,
and dependent lower-extremity edema. Which condition should be
strongly considered?
A. Isolated bacterial bronchitis
B. Uncomplicated asthma
C. Congestive heart failure
D. Pulmonary tuberculosis
The combination of dyspnea, pulmonary crackles, orthopnea, and
peripheral edema strongly suggests volume overload associated with heart
failure.
11. During cardiac auscultation, the first heart sound is heard most
prominently at the apex. What event produces S1?
A. Closure of the mitral and tricuspid valves
B. Closure of the aortic and pulmonic valves
C. Rapid ventricular filling
D. Atrial contraction
