2026 2027 ADVANCED PATIENT ASSESSMENT
HEALTH HISTORY PHYSICAL EXAMINATION
AND CLINICAL REASONING QUESTIONS
ANSWERS AND RATIONALES
Medical diagnosis - CORRECT ANSWERS -focuses on a
disease process (ex: hypertension)
Nursing diagnosis - CORRECT ANSWERS --individuals
response to disease or risk (subjective and objective data and their
response)
-foundation for care for patient
-force definition and values
-access the pulse for ___, ____, ____ - CORRECT
ANSWERS --50-95
-stroke volume
-slower <50
-fast >95
,-strength of hearts stroke volume; 0+= absent, 1+= weak, thready,
2+=normal, 3+= full bounding
-rate, rhythm, force
-Normal rate of respirations for an adult, neonatal, 16 year old -
CORRECT ANSWERS --adult: 10-20, neonatal: 30-40, 16
year old: 12-20
Blood pressure
-systolic pressure
-diastolic pressure
-Pulse pressure - CORRECT ANSWERS --Systolic=
pressure is maximum pressure felt on artery during left
ventricular contraction or systole
-Diastolic= pressure of elastic recoil or resting pressure that blood
exerts constantly between each contraction
-Pulse Pressure- difference between systolic and diastolic pressure
reflecting stroke volume
-Mean arterial pressure: pressure forcing blood into the tissues
averages over the
Physiologic factors controlling blood pressure
1. Cardiac output
, 2. Peripheral vascular resistance
3. Volume of circulating blood
4. Viscosity
5. Elasticity of vessel walls - CORRECT ANSWERS -1.
Cardiac output: if the heart pumps more blood into the container
(i.e., the blood vessels), the pressure on the container walls
increases.
2. Peripheral vascular resistance: when the container becomes
smaller (e.g., with constricted vessels), the pressure needed to
push the contents becomes greater. Conversely, if the container
becomes larger (e.g., vasodilation), less pressure is needed.
3. Volume of circulating blood: how tightly the blood is packed
into the arteries. Increasing the contents in the container
increases the pressure.
4. Viscosity: when the contents are thicker, the pressure increases.
5. Elasticity of vessel walls. When the container walls are stiff and
rigid, the pressure needed to push the contents increases
Errors in BP measurement:
-Korotkoff's sounds- I- systolic pressure, IV -muffling of sounds
V- diastolic pressure - CORRECT ANSWERS --Incorrect
size, Deflating too quickly, Inflating too high, too low, or too long,
positioning of patient, digit bias, recording odd numbers
-Pulse Oximetry ("sats") assesses?