NURS 5220 Advanced Health
Assessment Midterm Exam Practice
Questions And Correct Answers
(Verified Answers) Plus Rationale 2027
Q&A| Instant Download Pdf.
1. A nurse begins an advanced health assessment by asking the patient to
describe the primary reason for the visit in their own words. Which
component of the history is being established?
A. Review of systems
B. Chief complaint
C. Past medical history
D. Family history
Rationale: The chief complaint identifies the patient's primary reason for
seeking care and should be documented using the patient's own
description whenever possible.
2. Which interviewing technique is most appropriate when beginning an
assessment of a patient with multiple concerns?
A. Ask only yes-or-no questions.
B. Begin with highly specific questions about medications.
C. Use an open-ended question that allows the patient to describe
concerns freely.
D. Interrupt frequently to maintain a rapid pace.
,Rationale: Open-ended questions encourage patients to describe their
concerns in their own words and help establish the sequence and context
of symptoms.
3. A patient reports abdominal pain. Which question best assesses the
quality of the pain?
A. “When did the pain begin?”
B. “Where exactly is the pain?”
C. “How would you describe the pain?”
D. “What makes the pain better?”
Rationale: Pain quality refers to how the patient characterizes the
sensation, such as sharp, burning, aching, cramping, pressure, or stabbing.
4. Which question best assesses the radiation of pain?
A. “How severe is the pain?”
B. “What were you doing when it started?”
C. “Does the pain travel or move anywhere else?”
D. “Does anything make it worse?”
Rationale: Radiation describes whether pain spreads from its original
location to another area of the body.
5. A patient states that chest pain began while climbing stairs and
stopped after resting. Which characteristic of the symptom is being
assessed most directly?
A. Quality
B. Provocation and palliation
C. Radiation
D. Chronology
Rationale: Provocation and palliation identify factors that trigger, worsen,
relieve, or otherwise modify a symptom.
, 6. Which element of OPQRST is addressed by asking, “On a scale of 0 to
10, how severe is your pain?”
A. Onset
B. Provocation
C. Severity
D. Timing
Rationale: Severity measures the intensity of the patient's symptom,
commonly using a numerical scale from 0 to 10 for pain.
7. A patient states, “The pain started suddenly yesterday at about 3 PM.”
Which component of the symptom history is being documented?
A. Onset
B. Quality
C. Radiation
D. Palliation
Rationale: Onset identifies when and how a symptom began, including
whether the onset was sudden or gradual.
8. Which statement best describes an effective review of systems?
A. It replaces the physical examination.
B. It includes only symptoms related to the chief complaint.
C. It systematically identifies current or recent symptoms by body system.
D. It focuses exclusively on laboratory abnormalities.
Rationale: The review of systems is a systematic symptom inventory
organized by body systems and helps identify problems not initially
mentioned by the patient.
9. Which finding belongs in the constitutional portion of the review of
systems?
, A. Dysuria
B. Wheezing
C. Unintentional weight loss
D. Photophobia
Rationale: Constitutional symptoms include systemic manifestations such
as fever, chills, fatigue, weakness, and unintentional weight change.
10. A patient reports waking at night gasping for air and needing to
sit upright before breathing comfortably. Which symptom is present?
A. Orthopnea
B. Paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea
C. Pleuritic pain
D. Exertional tachypnea
Rationale: Paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea causes sudden nighttime
episodes of breathlessness that awaken the patient and improve when
upright.
11. Which symptom is most suggestive of left-sided heart failure?
A. Isolated dependent edema
B. Abdominal ascites without respiratory symptoms
C. Orthopnea and exertional dyspnea
D. Unilateral calf tenderness
Rationale: Left ventricular dysfunction causes pulmonary congestion,
resulting in exertional dyspnea, orthopnea, and paroxysmal nocturnal
dyspnea.
12. Which finding most strongly suggests right-sided heart failure?
A. Fine crackles alone
B. Jugular venous distention and peripheral edema
C. Pleuritic chest pain
D. Inspiratory stridor
Assessment Midterm Exam Practice
Questions And Correct Answers
(Verified Answers) Plus Rationale 2027
Q&A| Instant Download Pdf.
1. A nurse begins an advanced health assessment by asking the patient to
describe the primary reason for the visit in their own words. Which
component of the history is being established?
A. Review of systems
B. Chief complaint
C. Past medical history
D. Family history
Rationale: The chief complaint identifies the patient's primary reason for
seeking care and should be documented using the patient's own
description whenever possible.
2. Which interviewing technique is most appropriate when beginning an
assessment of a patient with multiple concerns?
A. Ask only yes-or-no questions.
B. Begin with highly specific questions about medications.
C. Use an open-ended question that allows the patient to describe
concerns freely.
D. Interrupt frequently to maintain a rapid pace.
,Rationale: Open-ended questions encourage patients to describe their
concerns in their own words and help establish the sequence and context
of symptoms.
3. A patient reports abdominal pain. Which question best assesses the
quality of the pain?
A. “When did the pain begin?”
B. “Where exactly is the pain?”
C. “How would you describe the pain?”
D. “What makes the pain better?”
Rationale: Pain quality refers to how the patient characterizes the
sensation, such as sharp, burning, aching, cramping, pressure, or stabbing.
4. Which question best assesses the radiation of pain?
A. “How severe is the pain?”
B. “What were you doing when it started?”
C. “Does the pain travel or move anywhere else?”
D. “Does anything make it worse?”
Rationale: Radiation describes whether pain spreads from its original
location to another area of the body.
5. A patient states that chest pain began while climbing stairs and
stopped after resting. Which characteristic of the symptom is being
assessed most directly?
A. Quality
B. Provocation and palliation
C. Radiation
D. Chronology
Rationale: Provocation and palliation identify factors that trigger, worsen,
relieve, or otherwise modify a symptom.
, 6. Which element of OPQRST is addressed by asking, “On a scale of 0 to
10, how severe is your pain?”
A. Onset
B. Provocation
C. Severity
D. Timing
Rationale: Severity measures the intensity of the patient's symptom,
commonly using a numerical scale from 0 to 10 for pain.
7. A patient states, “The pain started suddenly yesterday at about 3 PM.”
Which component of the symptom history is being documented?
A. Onset
B. Quality
C. Radiation
D. Palliation
Rationale: Onset identifies when and how a symptom began, including
whether the onset was sudden or gradual.
8. Which statement best describes an effective review of systems?
A. It replaces the physical examination.
B. It includes only symptoms related to the chief complaint.
C. It systematically identifies current or recent symptoms by body system.
D. It focuses exclusively on laboratory abnormalities.
Rationale: The review of systems is a systematic symptom inventory
organized by body systems and helps identify problems not initially
mentioned by the patient.
9. Which finding belongs in the constitutional portion of the review of
systems?
, A. Dysuria
B. Wheezing
C. Unintentional weight loss
D. Photophobia
Rationale: Constitutional symptoms include systemic manifestations such
as fever, chills, fatigue, weakness, and unintentional weight change.
10. A patient reports waking at night gasping for air and needing to
sit upright before breathing comfortably. Which symptom is present?
A. Orthopnea
B. Paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea
C. Pleuritic pain
D. Exertional tachypnea
Rationale: Paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea causes sudden nighttime
episodes of breathlessness that awaken the patient and improve when
upright.
11. Which symptom is most suggestive of left-sided heart failure?
A. Isolated dependent edema
B. Abdominal ascites without respiratory symptoms
C. Orthopnea and exertional dyspnea
D. Unilateral calf tenderness
Rationale: Left ventricular dysfunction causes pulmonary congestion,
resulting in exertional dyspnea, orthopnea, and paroxysmal nocturnal
dyspnea.
12. Which finding most strongly suggests right-sided heart failure?
A. Fine crackles alone
B. Jugular venous distention and peripheral edema
C. Pleuritic chest pain
D. Inspiratory stridor
