Periop 101 Final Exam Questions and
Complete Answers
a - Answer: Evidence-based practice questions are typically formatted as PICO questions. What does
PICO stand for?
a) Patient, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome
b) Patient, Investigation, Comparison, Outlier
c) Population, Intervention, Counter-Intervention, Outlier
d) Problem, Investigation, Counter-Intervention, Outcome
d - Answer: Every member of the healthcare team has a role to play in cost containment. Which of
the following is an example of how the perioperative RN can participate in cost containment in the
OR?
a) Ask the surgeon to use a less expensive implant
b) Begin cleaning the OR for the next case before the patient leaves the room
c) Open all supplies listed on preference card, including "available" supplies
d) Verify with surgeon before opening suture
c - Answer: An RN who attends continuing nursing education and has verified skills, knowledge, and
attitudes about perioperative nursing is demonstrating accountability in his/her:
a) Certification requirements for professional achievement in perioperative nursing
b) Collaboration among team members
c) Professional growth and maintenance of competency
d) Verification of nursing knowledge
d - Answer: Which of the following statements is TRUE concerning use of the AORN Guidelines for
Perioperative Practice?
a) Both medical and nursing licensing boards require health care institutions to comply with the
AORN guidelines
b) The AORN Guidelines legally supersede departmental and institutional policies
c) The AORN Guidelines reflect scientific evidence of how nurses actually practice in perioperative
settings
,d) Work setting and situation variations may determine the extent to which AORN Guidelines can be
applied
c - Answer: Which of the following is NOT an example of an ethical dilemma that perioperative
nurses may encounter?
a) Do-not-resuscitate (DNR) order for a surgical patient
b) Family disagreement regardings possible organ donation
c) Family disagreement about a below the knee amputation on an 18 year old who has already given
consent
d) Human experimentation
b - Answer: The phrase "At least one individual failed to do what a similarly situated, reasonable,
and prudent professional would have done under similar circumstances" is the definition of:
a) Abandonment
b) Negligence
c) Unethical behavior
d) Malpractice
d - Answer: All of the following are accurate descriptions of "professional accountability" EXCEPT:
a) Becoming certified in your specialty
b) Collaborating with peers in selecting the right instruments and right equipment for each patient
c) Pursuing a higher academic degree
d) Relying ONLY on peer evaluations
e) Staying current with changes in your specialty
b - Answer: Part of the AORN standards of Professional Practice mandate that nurses evaluate the
quality of their nursing practice. Four ways to ensure professional practice related to the AORN
practice include: maintaining competency, the use of evidence-based practice, certification, and:
a) Mentoring student nurses
b) Pursuit of lifelong learning
c) Achieving a minimum of an associate's degree
d) Achievement of an advanced practice nurse degree
,c - Answer: After transferring a male patient into the Phase I PACU, the perioperative RN could
reasonably expect the PACU RN to FIRST:
a) Administer medication to the patient for nausea and vomiting
b) Ask the patient is he has any pain
c) Assess the patient's airway and respirations
d) Care for this patient and two other patients as assigned
b - Answer: During a handover report to the PACU RN, the perioperative RN may use a
communication method identified by the acronym "SBAR." What does SBAR stand for?
a) Safety, Background, Actions, Recovery expectations
b) Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation
c) Safety concerns, Background, Assessment, Responsibility
d) Surgeon, Background, Assessment, Recovery time
c - Answer: A 40-year-old male patient is awake and alert in the post anesthesia care unit after right
shoulder surgery. What is the BEST measure to assess the patient's pain?
a) Discuss the patient's pain with a close family member
b) Observe facial expressions and behaviors
c) Ask patient to describe his pain or use a standardized pain scale
d) Monitor vital sign changes
d - Answer: What would be the MOST important information for a nurse in Preadmission Testing
(PAT) to collect on an insulin dependent diabetic patient?
a) How long the patient has been diabetic
b) If there is someone to drive them home
c) The last time the patient ate or drank
d) The type of insulin the patient takes
c - Answer: The Perianesthesia nurse has ASPAN to guide their practice. What does ASPAN stand
for?
a) American Sterilization of PeriAnesthesia Nurses
b) Association of Specialized PeriAnesthesia Nursing
c) American Society of PeriAnesthesia Nursing
, d) Association of Surgical Post Anesthesia Nursing
c - Answer: You have completed your case and must now transport your patient to PACU. To give
report to the PACU nurse, your facility requires that you provide report in SBAR, which stands for:
a) Safety, Background, Actions, Recovery, Expectations
b) Safety concerns, Background, Assessment, Responsibilities
c) Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendations
d) Surgeon, Background, Assessment, Recovery time
c - Answer: You have just transferred your patient into the Phase I PACU. Which activities would you
expect to observe FIRST?
a) Administering medication for nausea and vomiting
b) Asking patients if they have any pain
c) Assessing patient airway and respirations
d) Caring for patients in 1:3 ratio
c - Answer: A hand-over communication report is given by the anesthesia professional and the
_________________?
a) Surgical resident
b) Medical student
c) OR nurse
d) Inpatient nurse
c - Answer: What should be included as part of the psychological nursing assessment?
a) Anxiety, temperature, and religious beliefs
b) Anxiety, temperature, and cultural practices
c) Cultural beliefs, perception of surgery, and religious beliefs
d) Cultural practice, religious beliefs, and age
a - Answer: During a preoperative interview, a patient reports that a surgical prep solution made
him breakout in hives after a previous surgical procedure. What action should the perioperative RN
take?
a) Alert the surgeon and discuss the selection of preoperative skin antiseptic.
Complete Answers
a - Answer: Evidence-based practice questions are typically formatted as PICO questions. What does
PICO stand for?
a) Patient, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome
b) Patient, Investigation, Comparison, Outlier
c) Population, Intervention, Counter-Intervention, Outlier
d) Problem, Investigation, Counter-Intervention, Outcome
d - Answer: Every member of the healthcare team has a role to play in cost containment. Which of
the following is an example of how the perioperative RN can participate in cost containment in the
OR?
a) Ask the surgeon to use a less expensive implant
b) Begin cleaning the OR for the next case before the patient leaves the room
c) Open all supplies listed on preference card, including "available" supplies
d) Verify with surgeon before opening suture
c - Answer: An RN who attends continuing nursing education and has verified skills, knowledge, and
attitudes about perioperative nursing is demonstrating accountability in his/her:
a) Certification requirements for professional achievement in perioperative nursing
b) Collaboration among team members
c) Professional growth and maintenance of competency
d) Verification of nursing knowledge
d - Answer: Which of the following statements is TRUE concerning use of the AORN Guidelines for
Perioperative Practice?
a) Both medical and nursing licensing boards require health care institutions to comply with the
AORN guidelines
b) The AORN Guidelines legally supersede departmental and institutional policies
c) The AORN Guidelines reflect scientific evidence of how nurses actually practice in perioperative
settings
,d) Work setting and situation variations may determine the extent to which AORN Guidelines can be
applied
c - Answer: Which of the following is NOT an example of an ethical dilemma that perioperative
nurses may encounter?
a) Do-not-resuscitate (DNR) order for a surgical patient
b) Family disagreement regardings possible organ donation
c) Family disagreement about a below the knee amputation on an 18 year old who has already given
consent
d) Human experimentation
b - Answer: The phrase "At least one individual failed to do what a similarly situated, reasonable,
and prudent professional would have done under similar circumstances" is the definition of:
a) Abandonment
b) Negligence
c) Unethical behavior
d) Malpractice
d - Answer: All of the following are accurate descriptions of "professional accountability" EXCEPT:
a) Becoming certified in your specialty
b) Collaborating with peers in selecting the right instruments and right equipment for each patient
c) Pursuing a higher academic degree
d) Relying ONLY on peer evaluations
e) Staying current with changes in your specialty
b - Answer: Part of the AORN standards of Professional Practice mandate that nurses evaluate the
quality of their nursing practice. Four ways to ensure professional practice related to the AORN
practice include: maintaining competency, the use of evidence-based practice, certification, and:
a) Mentoring student nurses
b) Pursuit of lifelong learning
c) Achieving a minimum of an associate's degree
d) Achievement of an advanced practice nurse degree
,c - Answer: After transferring a male patient into the Phase I PACU, the perioperative RN could
reasonably expect the PACU RN to FIRST:
a) Administer medication to the patient for nausea and vomiting
b) Ask the patient is he has any pain
c) Assess the patient's airway and respirations
d) Care for this patient and two other patients as assigned
b - Answer: During a handover report to the PACU RN, the perioperative RN may use a
communication method identified by the acronym "SBAR." What does SBAR stand for?
a) Safety, Background, Actions, Recovery expectations
b) Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation
c) Safety concerns, Background, Assessment, Responsibility
d) Surgeon, Background, Assessment, Recovery time
c - Answer: A 40-year-old male patient is awake and alert in the post anesthesia care unit after right
shoulder surgery. What is the BEST measure to assess the patient's pain?
a) Discuss the patient's pain with a close family member
b) Observe facial expressions and behaviors
c) Ask patient to describe his pain or use a standardized pain scale
d) Monitor vital sign changes
d - Answer: What would be the MOST important information for a nurse in Preadmission Testing
(PAT) to collect on an insulin dependent diabetic patient?
a) How long the patient has been diabetic
b) If there is someone to drive them home
c) The last time the patient ate or drank
d) The type of insulin the patient takes
c - Answer: The Perianesthesia nurse has ASPAN to guide their practice. What does ASPAN stand
for?
a) American Sterilization of PeriAnesthesia Nurses
b) Association of Specialized PeriAnesthesia Nursing
c) American Society of PeriAnesthesia Nursing
, d) Association of Surgical Post Anesthesia Nursing
c - Answer: You have completed your case and must now transport your patient to PACU. To give
report to the PACU nurse, your facility requires that you provide report in SBAR, which stands for:
a) Safety, Background, Actions, Recovery, Expectations
b) Safety concerns, Background, Assessment, Responsibilities
c) Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendations
d) Surgeon, Background, Assessment, Recovery time
c - Answer: You have just transferred your patient into the Phase I PACU. Which activities would you
expect to observe FIRST?
a) Administering medication for nausea and vomiting
b) Asking patients if they have any pain
c) Assessing patient airway and respirations
d) Caring for patients in 1:3 ratio
c - Answer: A hand-over communication report is given by the anesthesia professional and the
_________________?
a) Surgical resident
b) Medical student
c) OR nurse
d) Inpatient nurse
c - Answer: What should be included as part of the psychological nursing assessment?
a) Anxiety, temperature, and religious beliefs
b) Anxiety, temperature, and cultural practices
c) Cultural beliefs, perception of surgery, and religious beliefs
d) Cultural practice, religious beliefs, and age
a - Answer: During a preoperative interview, a patient reports that a surgical prep solution made
him breakout in hives after a previous surgical procedure. What action should the perioperative RN
take?
a) Alert the surgeon and discuss the selection of preoperative skin antiseptic.
