NU660 Week 1: Practice Questions With Evidence-
Based Solutions
The nurse is caring for a 50-year-old patient who has had a gall bladder
removal and is postoperative day 2. The patient appears to be in pain. Which
patient assessment finding collected by the nurse is categorized as objective
data? Select all that apply. One, some, or all responses may be correct.
a. Stiffness across the lower back
b. Minimal oozing at the incision site
c. Stinging pain at the incision site
d. Fever 104°F (40°C)
e. Sharp pain on movement Correct Answer - b. Minimal oozing at the
incision site
d. Fever 104°F (40°C);
Objective data are collected by the nurse on direct observation and
examination. Minimal oozing at the incision site is objective data. A fever of
104° F (40° C) is objective data.
The nurse is interviewing a patient who comes into the emergency
department with a headache of 5 days' duration. Which question from the
nurse is an example of a closed-ended question? Select all that apply. One,
some, or all responses may be correct.
a. "Do you have pain now?"
b. "Is your headache severe?"
c. "Can you describe the nature of the pain?"
d. "Can you tell me how you get relief from pain at home?"
e. "Are you frightened that the diagnosis will be cancer?" Correct Answer -
a. "Do you have pain now?"
b. "Is your headache severe?"
e. "Are you frightened that the diagnosis will be cancer?";
Asking the patient if they are having pain now, if it is severe pain, and if they
are frightened are examples of closed-ended questions. The patient can
answer all three questions with a simple "yes" or "no." These questions may
not provide the patient with an opportunity to freely express his or her
concerns. Asking a patient to describe the nature of the pain and discuss home
remedies for pain relief are examples of open-ended questions. They allow the
,patient to answer in as much detail as desired. They also provide better data
for the nurse.
The nurse finds that a patient who is scheduled for an appendectomy is crying
and infers that the patient is crying because of anxiety over the surgery or the
hospital admission. Which action is appropriate for the nurse to take?
a. The nurse infers that the patient is frightened of surgery.
b. The nurse ignores it, because such behavior is normal.
c. The nurse infers that the patient does not want to be admitted to a hospital.
d. The nurse validates the inference by asking the patient about the crying
behavior. Correct Answer - d. The nurse validates the inference by
asking the patient about the crying behavior.;
The nurse should observe cues such as crying, which might give important
information. It is normal for a nurse to infer the patient is crying because e of
anxiety over surgery or the hospital admission. However, the nurse should
validate this information by asking the patient. It is likely there could be some
other reason (e.g., pain) for the patient's behavior. Without asking the patient,
the nurse should not infer the patient is frightened of surgery. It is
inappropriate and unethical to ignore the patient. The nurse should ask the
patient and only then conclude the reason for the crying behavior
The nurse is collecting the history of a patient who complains of shortness of
breath. The nurse later asks the patient, "What else is bothering you?" This is
an example of which interview technique?
a. Probing
b. Leading
c. Back-channeling
d. Closed-ended Correct Answer - a. Probing;
Probing explores the history of the patient without controlling the direction of
the story and is meant to bring out as much information as the patient can
give.
The nurse checks a patient's intravenous (IV) line in his right arm and sees
inflammation where the catheter enters the skin. The nurse uses a finger to
apply light pressure (i.e., palpation) just above the IV site. The patient tells the
nurse the area is tender. The nurse checks to see if the IV line is running at the
correct rate. This is an example of which type of assessment?
, a. Agenda setting
b. Problem focused
c. Objective
d. Use of a structured database format Correct Answer - b. Problem
focused;
The nurse saw the inflammation and gathered additional information to
determine if a problem existed with the IV site, so this is a problem-focused
assessment.
The nurse is conducting an interview of a patient after admission. Which
datum should the nurse document as subjective data? Select all that apply.
One, some, or all responses may be correct.
a. Nausea
b. Light-headedness
c. Temperature of 100° F (37.8° C)
d. Blood pressure 120/80 mm Hg
e. Discomfort in the stomach Correct Answer - a. Nausea
b. Light-headedness
e. Discomfort in the stomach
Subjective data refers to information that a patient provides that is not
necessarily observable or measurable. The patient who feels nauseous or
lightheaded or has discomfort in the stomach are examples of subjective data.
The nurse is conducting an interview of a patient who complains of chest pain.
The nurse says, "I have just two more questions for you." In which stage of the
interview is the nurse?
a. Starting the interview
b. Setting the stage
c. Assessing the patient
d. Terminating the interview Correct Answer - d. Terminating the
interview;
It is important for the nurse to make statements that reflect the interview is
coming to a close. One way to do this is by indicating the number of questions
left. This helps the patient to be alert and gives the patient an opportunity to
say something they may think is important. In the beginning of an interview
or while setting the stage, the nurse uses introductory questions and
Based Solutions
The nurse is caring for a 50-year-old patient who has had a gall bladder
removal and is postoperative day 2. The patient appears to be in pain. Which
patient assessment finding collected by the nurse is categorized as objective
data? Select all that apply. One, some, or all responses may be correct.
a. Stiffness across the lower back
b. Minimal oozing at the incision site
c. Stinging pain at the incision site
d. Fever 104°F (40°C)
e. Sharp pain on movement Correct Answer - b. Minimal oozing at the
incision site
d. Fever 104°F (40°C);
Objective data are collected by the nurse on direct observation and
examination. Minimal oozing at the incision site is objective data. A fever of
104° F (40° C) is objective data.
The nurse is interviewing a patient who comes into the emergency
department with a headache of 5 days' duration. Which question from the
nurse is an example of a closed-ended question? Select all that apply. One,
some, or all responses may be correct.
a. "Do you have pain now?"
b. "Is your headache severe?"
c. "Can you describe the nature of the pain?"
d. "Can you tell me how you get relief from pain at home?"
e. "Are you frightened that the diagnosis will be cancer?" Correct Answer -
a. "Do you have pain now?"
b. "Is your headache severe?"
e. "Are you frightened that the diagnosis will be cancer?";
Asking the patient if they are having pain now, if it is severe pain, and if they
are frightened are examples of closed-ended questions. The patient can
answer all three questions with a simple "yes" or "no." These questions may
not provide the patient with an opportunity to freely express his or her
concerns. Asking a patient to describe the nature of the pain and discuss home
remedies for pain relief are examples of open-ended questions. They allow the
,patient to answer in as much detail as desired. They also provide better data
for the nurse.
The nurse finds that a patient who is scheduled for an appendectomy is crying
and infers that the patient is crying because of anxiety over the surgery or the
hospital admission. Which action is appropriate for the nurse to take?
a. The nurse infers that the patient is frightened of surgery.
b. The nurse ignores it, because such behavior is normal.
c. The nurse infers that the patient does not want to be admitted to a hospital.
d. The nurse validates the inference by asking the patient about the crying
behavior. Correct Answer - d. The nurse validates the inference by
asking the patient about the crying behavior.;
The nurse should observe cues such as crying, which might give important
information. It is normal for a nurse to infer the patient is crying because e of
anxiety over surgery or the hospital admission. However, the nurse should
validate this information by asking the patient. It is likely there could be some
other reason (e.g., pain) for the patient's behavior. Without asking the patient,
the nurse should not infer the patient is frightened of surgery. It is
inappropriate and unethical to ignore the patient. The nurse should ask the
patient and only then conclude the reason for the crying behavior
The nurse is collecting the history of a patient who complains of shortness of
breath. The nurse later asks the patient, "What else is bothering you?" This is
an example of which interview technique?
a. Probing
b. Leading
c. Back-channeling
d. Closed-ended Correct Answer - a. Probing;
Probing explores the history of the patient without controlling the direction of
the story and is meant to bring out as much information as the patient can
give.
The nurse checks a patient's intravenous (IV) line in his right arm and sees
inflammation where the catheter enters the skin. The nurse uses a finger to
apply light pressure (i.e., palpation) just above the IV site. The patient tells the
nurse the area is tender. The nurse checks to see if the IV line is running at the
correct rate. This is an example of which type of assessment?
, a. Agenda setting
b. Problem focused
c. Objective
d. Use of a structured database format Correct Answer - b. Problem
focused;
The nurse saw the inflammation and gathered additional information to
determine if a problem existed with the IV site, so this is a problem-focused
assessment.
The nurse is conducting an interview of a patient after admission. Which
datum should the nurse document as subjective data? Select all that apply.
One, some, or all responses may be correct.
a. Nausea
b. Light-headedness
c. Temperature of 100° F (37.8° C)
d. Blood pressure 120/80 mm Hg
e. Discomfort in the stomach Correct Answer - a. Nausea
b. Light-headedness
e. Discomfort in the stomach
Subjective data refers to information that a patient provides that is not
necessarily observable or measurable. The patient who feels nauseous or
lightheaded or has discomfort in the stomach are examples of subjective data.
The nurse is conducting an interview of a patient who complains of chest pain.
The nurse says, "I have just two more questions for you." In which stage of the
interview is the nurse?
a. Starting the interview
b. Setting the stage
c. Assessing the patient
d. Terminating the interview Correct Answer - d. Terminating the
interview;
It is important for the nurse to make statements that reflect the interview is
coming to a close. One way to do this is by indicating the number of questions
left. This helps the patient to be alert and gives the patient an opportunity to
say something they may think is important. In the beginning of an interview
or while setting the stage, the nurse uses introductory questions and
