Alexander’s Care of the Patient in Surgery (17th Edition) – Test Bank | Comprehensive Practice Questions with Answers and Explanations

This document is a comprehensive, chapter-by-chapter test bank based on the authoritative textbook Alexander’s Care of the Patient in Surgery (17th Edition) by Jane C. Rothrock. Designed specifically for students, nursing educators, and professionals preparing for exams in perioperative nursing, it contains hundreds of well-structured multiple-choice and multiple-response questions covering the full breadth of perioperative care. Each question includes the correct answer and a detailed rationale that explains the underlying clinical reasoning, ensuring a deeper understanding of both factual content and applied practice. The test bank is methodically organized to mirror the structure of the textbook itself, making it easy for students to follow along with their course curriculum. Each chapter focuses on a critical topic area in perioperative nursing, such as the perioperative client-focused model, safety and risk management, infection prevention, anesthesia practices, intraoperative patient positioning, workplace safety, and more. The document begins with Chapter 1, which introduces key concepts in perioperative nursing and lays the foundation for understanding evidence-based practice, nursing process application, and the perioperative environment. From there, the test bank progresses through increasingly complex material, integrating topics such as surgical site infections, anesthesia emergencies, patient hand-offs, latex allergies, and ergonomic hazards in the OR. Chapter 2 focuses on client safety and risk management, highlighting vital regulatory bodies such as The Joint Commission (TJC), WHO, and AORN, as well as protocols like the Universal Protocol, surgical time-outs, and root cause analysis. Questions assess the student's ability to understand and apply principles related to safe hand-offs (e.g., SBAR), standard precautions, site marking, informed consent, and sentinel event prevention. The chapter includes real-world clinical scenarios to prepare students for identifying and responding to safety risks, including retained surgical items, specimen mislabeling, and fire hazards in the OR. Chapter 3 turns to workplace issues and staff safety, testing knowledge on musculoskeletal injury prevention, OSHA regulations, safe lifting practices, exposure control plans, and infection prevention for healthcare workers. It addresses common hazards such as surgical smoke, waste anesthetic gas, and radiation exposure. The questions emphasize the nurse's role in maintaining a safe, compliant working environment and support learning outcomes related to personal protective equipment (PPE), sharps safety, and handling biohazards. Special attention is given to cultural components of workplace safety, such as developing a "culture of safety" and recognizing lateral violence in healthcare environments. Chapter 4 offers detailed questions related to infection prevention and control. Topics include sterilization methods (e.g., steam, hydrogen peroxide gas plasma), aseptic technique, high-risk pathogens, surgical site preparation, and equipment decontamination. The test bank explores current CDC and WHO guidelines, updated best practices in SSI prevention, and special considerations for multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs) and Clostridioides difficile. Students are tested on the differences between cleaning, disinfection, and sterilization; packaging and indicator use; surgical scrub techniques; and infection control strategies for immunocompromised patients. The chapter also includes relevant information on environmental cleaning, proper disposal of biohazards, and classification of instruments according to Spaulding’s system. Chapter 5 delves into the complex topic of anesthesia. It distinguishes between various anesthesia techniques—local, regional, general, and monitored anesthesia care (MAC)—and includes realistic clinical scenarios that require the student to determine the appropriate method based on the patient's condition, procedure type, and risk factors. Students are challenged with questions on airway management, sedation safety, anesthetic drug classifications, malignant hyperthermia management, intraoperative monitoring, and the ASA classification system. The rationales provide in-depth explanations of mechanisms of action, drug interactions, and physiologic responses to anesthesia, helping students connect pharmacological theory to clinical application. This section is particularly useful for students preparing for exams that include pharmacology and anesthesia safety components. The chapter also explores anesthesia-related complications such as total spinal anesthesia, intraoperative awareness, aspiration, respiratory depression, and systemic local anesthetic toxicity. Monitoring techniques such as capnography, pulse oximetry, and SEP (somatosensory evoked potential) monitoring are covered in detail. Emphasis is placed on the nurse’s critical role in identifying early warning signs of adverse reactions, ensuring timely intervention, and providing patient education during preoperative assessments. Chapter 6 focuses on patient positioning during surgery, a key area of perioperative practice often overlooked in traditional lecture formats. This section of the test bank evaluates knowledge on safe positioning techniques for various surgical procedures and body types, including high-risk populations such as the elderly, bariatric patients, and pediatric clients. The test items address pressure injury prevention, prevention of nerve damage (e.g., ulnar, peroneal, or brachial plexus), proper use of assistive devices, and the impact of positioning on respiratory and circulatory function. Students are required to demonstrate understanding of physiological changes associated with prone, supine, lithotomy, lateral, Trendelenburg, and Fowler’s positions, among others. Across all chapters, the test bank integrates current best practices, evidence-based recommendations, and safety protocols, making it a relevant and up-to-date resource. The questions are designed in alignment with key guidelines from the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and other governing bodies that regulate perioperative practice and patient safety. Each question is written to enhance not only recall and comprehension but also critical thinking and clinical judgment—skills essential for passing licensure exams like the NCLEX-RN or specialty certifications such as CNOR (Certified Perioperative Nurse). The test bank supports educators by offering ready-made exam content and review questions that align with classroom instruction and clinical practice competencies. For nursing students, this document provides a comprehensive and rigorous way to self-test and prepare for exams. It encourages active learning through scenario-based questioning and detailed feedback that clarifies complex concepts. Unlike simple flashcards or basic quizzes, this test bank offers context-rich questions that simulate the real decisions perioperative nurses must make in clinical settings. For students enrolled in perioperative clinical courses or advanced practice surgical tracks, it serves as an indispensable supplement to lectures, textbooks, and hands-on training. Instructors and preceptors will also find this document useful for creating quizzes, midterms, and final exams, or for facilitating in-class discussions and simulation-based learning. The structure of the document supports modular use, meaning individual chapters or sections can be assigned based on weekly curriculum focus or clinical rotations. The inclusion of rationales allows it to function as both an assessment and a teaching tool, helping students correct misconceptions and reinforce best practices. Moreover, the document includes real-world terminology, professional standards, and realistic decision-making frameworks that align with actual clinical expectations. It strengthens familiarity with electronic documentation tools like the Perioperative Nursing Data Set (PNDS), and helps learners understand how client outcomes, safety interventions, and documentation all tie together within the perioperative nursing model. References to crew resource management (CRM), communication tools like SBAR, and institutional standards provide students with a complete picture of the surgical care process from pre-op to post-op. Whether used for individual study, group review, or teaching preparation, this test bank provides a high-yield, high-quality resource that transforms passive reading into active engagement with the material. The formatting is clean, the questions are varied in style and difficulty, and the content aligns with core competencies needed for professional perioperative nursing practice. As a complete and well-curated resource, it ensures learners are thoroughly prepared for both academic success and safe, effective patient care in the surgical setting.