Bates' Guide To Physical Examination and
History Taking.
CHAPTER 1 Foundations for Clinical Proficiency
1. After completing an initial assessment of a patient, the nurse has charted that his respirations
are eupneic and his pulse is 58 beats per minute. These types of data would be:
a. Objective.
b. Reflective.
c. Subjective.
d. Introspective. - ANS ANS: A
Objective data are what the health professional observes by inspecting, percussing, palpating,
and auscultating during the physical examination. Subjective data is what the person says about
him or herself during history taking. The terms reflective and introspective are not used to
describe data.
2. A patient tells the nurse that he is very nervous, is nauseated, and feels hot. These types of
data would be:
a. Objective.
b. Reflective.
c. Subjective.
d. Introspective. - ANS ANS: C
Subjective data are what the person says about him or herself during history taking. Objective
data are what the health professional observes by inspecting, percussing, palpating, and
auscultating during the physical examination. The terms reflective and introspective are not
used
to describe data.
3. The patients record, laboratory studies, objective data, and subjective data combine to form
the:
a. Data base.
b. Admitting data.
c. Financial statement.
d. Discharge summary. - ANS ANS: A
Together with the patients record and laboratory studies, the objective and subjective data form
the data base. The other items are not part of the patients record, laboratory studies, or data.
4. When listening to a patients breath sounds, the nurse is unsure of a sound that is heard.
The
nurses next action should be to:
a. Immediately notify the patients physician.
b. Document the sound exactly as it was heard.
,c. Validate the data by asking a coworker to listen to the breath sounds.
d. Assess again in 20 minutes to note whether the sound is still present. - ANS ANS: C
When unsure of a sound heard while listening to a patients breath sounds, the nurse validates
the
data to ensure accuracy. If the nurse has less experience in an area, then he or she asks an
expert
to listen.
5. The nurse is conducting a class for new graduate nurses. During the teaching session, the
nurse should keep in mind that novice nurses, without a background of skills and experience
from which to draw, are more likely to make their decisions using:
a Intuition.
b A set of rules.
c Articles in journals.
d Advice from supervisors. - ANS ANS: B
Novice nurses operate from a set of defined, structured rules. The expert practitioner uses
intuitive links.
6. Expert nurses learn to attend to a pattern of assessment data and act without consciously
labeling it. These responses are referred to as:
a Intuition.
b The nursing process.
c Clinical knowledge.
d Diagnostic reasoning. - ANS ANS: A
Intuition is characterized by pattern recognition expert nurses learn to attend to a pattern of
assessment data and act without consciously labeling it. The other options are not correct.
7. The nurse is reviewing information about evidence-based practice (EBP). Which statement
best reflects EBP?
a EBP relies on tradition for support of best practices.
b EBP is simply the use of best practice techniques for the treatment of patients.
c EBP emphasizes the use of best evidence with the clinicians experience.
d The patients own preferences are not important with EBP. - ANS ANS: C
EBP is a systematic approach to practice that emphasizes the use of best evidence in
combination
with the clinicians experience, as well as patient preferences and values, when making
decisions
about care and treatment. EBP is more than simply using the best practice techniques to treat
patients, and questioning tradition is important when no compelling and supportive research
evidence exists.
8. The nurse is conducting a class on priority setting for a group of new graduate nurses.
Which is an example of a first-level priority problem?
a Patient with postoperative pain
,b Newly diagnosed patient with diabetes who needs diabetic teaching
c Individual with a small laceration on the sole of the foot
d Individual with shortness of breath and respiratory distress - ANS ANS: D
First-level priority problems are those that are emergent, life threatening, and immediate (e.g.,
establishing an airway, supporting breathing, maintaining circulation, monitoring abnormal vital
signs) (see Table 1-1).
9. When considering priority setting of problems, the nurse keeps in mind that second-level
priority problems include which of these aspects?
a Low self-esteem
b Lack of knowledge
c Abnormal laboratory values
d Severely abnormal vital signs - ANS ANS: C
Second-level priority problems are those that require prompt intervention to forestall further
deterioration (e.g., mental status change, acute pain, abnormal laboratory values, risks to safety
or security) (see Table 1-1).
10. Which critical thinking skill helps the nurse see relationships among the data?
a Validation
b Clustering related cues
c Identifying gaps in data
d Distinguishing relevant from irrelevant - ANS ANS: B
Clustering related cues helps the nurse see relationships among the data.
11. The nurse knows that developing appropriate nursing interventions for a patient relies on
the appropriateness of the diagnosis.
a Nursing
b Medical
c Admission
d Collaborative - ANS ANS: A
An accurate nursing diagnosis provides the basis for the selection of nursing interventions to
achieve outcomes for which the nurse is accountable. The other items do not contribute to the
development of appropriate nursing interventions.
12. The nursing process is a sequential method of problem solving that nurses use and
includes which steps?
a Assessment, treatment, planning, evaluation, discharge, and follow-up
b Admission, assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and discharge planning
c Admission, diagnosis, treatment, evaluation, and discharge planning
d Assessment, diagnosis, outcome identification, planning, implementation, and evaluation -
ANS ANS: D
The nursing process is a method of problem solving that includes assessment, diagnosis,
outcome identification, planning, implementation, and evaluation.
, 13. A newly admitted patient is in acute pain, has not been sleeping well lately, and is having
difficulty breathing. How should the nurse prioritize these problems?
a Breathing, pain, and sleep
b Breathing, sleep, and pain
c Sleep, breathing, and pain
d Sleep, pain, and breathing - ANS ANS: A
First-level priority problems are immediate priorities, remembering the ABCs (airway, breathing,
and circulation), followed by second-level problems, and then third-level problems.
14. Which of these would be formulated by a nurse using diagnostic reasoning?
a Nursing diagnosis
b Medical diagnosis
c Diagnostic hypothesis
d Diagnostic assessment - ANS ANS: C
Diagnostic reasoning calls for the nurse to formulate a diagnostic hypothesis; the nursing
process calls for a nursing diagnosis.
15. Barriers to incorporating EBP include:
a Nurses lack of research skills in evaluating the quality of research studies.
b Lack of significant research studies.
c Insufficient clinical skills of nurses.
d Inadequate physical assessment skills. - ANS As individuals, nurses lack research skills in
evaluating the quality of research studies, are isolated from other colleagues who are
knowledgeable in research, and often lack the time to
visit the library to read research. The other responses are not considered barriers.
16. What step of the nursing process includes data collection by health history, physical
examination, and interview?
a Planning
b Diagnosis
c Evaluation
d Assessment - ANS ANS: D
Data collection, including performing the health history, physical examination, and interview, is
the assessment step of the nursing process (see Figure 1-2).
17. During a staff meeting, nurses discuss the problems with accessing research studies to
incorporate evidence-based clinical decision making into their practice. Which suggestion by the
nurse manager would best help these problems?
a Form a committee to conduct research studies.
b Post published research studies on the units bulletin boards.
c Encourage the nurses to visit the library to review studies.
d Teach the nurses how to conduct electronic searches for research studies. - ANS ANS: D
Facilitating support for EBP would include teaching the nurses how to conduct electronic
searches; time to visit the library may not be available for many nurses. Actually conducting
