16th Edition
• Author(s)Kevin T. Patton; Gary A. Thibodeau
TEST BANK
Reference: Patton & Thibodeau, 2024, Ch. 1: Introduction —
Language of science and medicine
Question stem: A newly graduated nurse documents that a
patient has “tachycardia.” Which entry best follows
medical/scientific naming conventions and conveys the
physiologic meaning to the care team?
A. Fast heart
B. Tachycardia (increased heart rate)
C. Heart palpitation disorder
D. Rapid pulse — no further description
Correct answer: B
,Rationales:
• Correct: “Tachycardia (increased heart rate)” pairs the precise
medical term with a clear physiologic explanation, matching
scientific naming conventions and improving team
understanding.
• A: “Fast heart” is colloquial and lacks specificity; not
appropriate for medical records.
• C: “Heart palpitation disorder” suggests a chronic disorder
and confuses symptom (palpitation) with diagnosis.
• D: “Rapid pulse — no further description” is ambiguous
because it omits rate, rhythm, and context.
Teaching Point: Use precise medical terms plus brief physiologic
clarifications when needed.
Citation: Patton & Thibodeau, 2024, Ch. 1: Language of science
and medicine
2.
Reference: Patton & Thibodeau, 2024, Ch. 1: Scientific Method
— Evidence-based practice
Question stem: A nurse tests whether repositioning every 2
hours reduces sacral pressure injury risk compared with
repositioning every 4 hours. Which step of the scientific method
is the nurse performing when assigning patients randomly to 2-
hour or 4-hour groups?
A. Formulating a hypothesis
,B. Collecting data
C. Designing an experiment (randomization)
D. Drawing conclusions
Correct answer: C
Rationales:
• Correct: Random assignment is part of experimental design
that controls bias and allows causal inference.
• A: Formulating the hypothesis precedes randomization; it’s
not the assignment step.
• B: Collecting data occurs after intervention; randomization is
part of design, not data collection.
• D: Drawing conclusions is the final step after analyzing
collected data.
Teaching Point: Randomization in study design reduces
selection bias and strengthens causality.
Citation: Patton & Thibodeau, 2024, Ch. 1: Scientific method
3.
Reference: Patton & Thibodeau, 2024, Ch. 1: Levels of
organization — Cellular to system integration
Question stem: A patient’s wound healing is delayed due to
poor oxygen delivery. Which sequence best orders structural
levels from smallest to largest to explain how a failing capillary
network impairs organ function?
A. Tissue → Cell → Organ → System → Organelle
, B. Organelle → Cell → Tissue → Organ → System
C. Cell → Organelle → Tissue → Organ → System
D. Organelle → Tissue → Cell → Organ → System
Correct answer: B
Rationales:
• Correct: The correct hierarchical order is organelle → cell →
tissue → organ → system, showing how subcellular dysfunction
can scale to systems.
• A: Incorrect order; tissues are not smaller than cells.
• C: Places organelle after cell, which is incorrect—organelles
are subcellular.
• D: Incorrect because it places tissue before cell.
Teaching Point: Organelle → cell → tissue → organ → system is
the structural hierarchy.
Citation: Patton & Thibodeau, 2024, Ch. 1: Levels of
organization
4.
Reference: Patton & Thibodeau, 2024, Ch. 1: Anatomical
position and directional terms
Question stem: During hand-off, a nurse describes a burn
located on the posterior distal aspect of the right forearm.
Which bedside location should the receiving nurse examine?
A. Front (palmar) surface near the elbow of the left arm
B. Back surface near the wrist of the right arm