Exam: Patient Assessment Skills for Therapist Driven Protocols
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Select the best answer to each of the following items.

1. The patient’s _______ artery is most commonly used to assess the pulse rate.
  1. femoral
  2. carotid
  3. radial
  4. brachial
2. Systolic blood pressure is recorded at the point at which _______.
  1. the cuff is fully inflated
  2. the cuff is fully deflated
  3. the sounds become muffled
  4. the first Korotkoff sounds are heard
3. Bradypnea consists of _______.
  1. ventilation in excess of that necessary to meet metabolic needs
  2. an abnormally slow rate of respiration
  3. several short breaths followed by long irregular periods of apnea
  4. deep gasping type of respiration associated with severe diabetic acidosis and coma
4. _______ is a motion picture of the throracic cavity.
  1. Bronchoscopy
  2. Tomography
  3. Fluoroscopy
  4. Inspiration/expiration film
5. A patient’s bed that is locked in an upright position or one that has an unusual number of pillows indicates _______.
  1. dyspnea
  2. COPD
  3. pectus excavatum
  4. orthopnea
6. The _______ consists of a 20-40 mm Hg drop with no sound between the first systolic sound and the continuous pulse sound.
  1. opening snap
  2. Korotkoff pause
  3. auscultatory gap
  4. obstruction of blood flow
7. _______ is often identified during inhalation and exhalation, may clear if the patient produces an effective cough, and is frequently associated with a low-pitched, coarse sound that can be heard without using a stethoscope.
  1. Wheezing
  2. Rhonchial fremitus
  3. Rales
  4. Kussmaul breathing
8. The best time to obtain a sputum specimen is when the patient _______.
  1. first awakes in the morning
  2. begins a coughing spell
  3. is about to go to bed for the evening
  4. has just taken medications
9. _______ are done if it is necessary to identify the specific organism involved in an infection in order to properly manage the patient.
  1. Sensitivity tests
  2. Urinalysis
  3. Tidal volumes
  4. Cultures
10._______ can be measured by having the patient breathe normally while exhaling through the spirometer for one minute.
  1. (VE)
  2. (VT)
  3. (FVC)
  4. (MIF)
11. If a crackling sound is heard when the hands are placed on the skin, it can be an indication of _______.
  1. edema
  2. pneumothorax
  3. atelectasis
  4. subcutaneous emphysema
12. _______ of the chest is(are) used to determine the extent of diaphragmatic excursion and air-fluid levels.
  1. Percussion
  2. Palpation
  3. X-rays
  4. Auscultation
13. Which of the following is NOT an error commonly committed during chest auscultation?
  1. Auscultating only the areas that are convenient to get to
  2. Permitting the stethoscope’s tubing to rub against bed rails or patient’s clothing
  3. Wetting the patient’s chest hair prior to auscultation if it is thick
  4. Listening to breath sounds through the patient’s bed clothes
14. _______ are "breezy" in quality, heard mainly on inspiration, and somewhat faint.
  1. Rhonchi
  2. Normal breath sounds
  3. Wheezes
  4. Rales
15. An elevated WBC count (leukocytosis) can indicate _______.
  1. an infection such as meningitis
  2. typhoid fever
  3. infectious hepatitis
  4. mononucleosis
16.Which of the following statements regarding the patient interview is NOT true?
  1. The setting for the interview should allow for a face-to-face conversation.
  2. Questions should be repeated in order to be sure the patient’s answers are consistent.
  3. You should begin the interview by addressing the patient by name.
  4. During the interview, the RCP should observe the patient closely and listen carefully to what they have to say so you can identify their mood, level of intelligence, and general state of well-being.
17. _______ involves expectoration or coughing up of blood.
  1. Hematemesis
  2. Hematopoiesis
  3. Hemolysis
  4. Hemoptysis
18. _______ is caused by intrathoracic pressure swings created by the respiratory muscles during breathing.
  1. Hypertension
  2. Peripheral vasodilatation
  3. Paradoxical pulse
  4. Uremia
19. Palpation is generally performed to _______.
  1. evaluate vocal fremitus
  2. estimate thoracic expansion
  3. assess the chest’s skin and subcutaneous tissues
  4. all of the above
20. Abnormalities that _______, such as atelectasis or pneumonic consolidation, result in a loss of resonance and a dull percussion note above the affected area.
  1. fill lungs with excessive air
  2. decrease normal fluids
  3. increase lung tissue density
  4. decrease lung tissue density
  21. Direct questions need to be carefully worded because _______.
  1. many patients tend to answer yes if they think that’s the answer you want to hear
  2. some patients with respiratory problems are also hard of hearing
  3. patients can get confused easily
  4. all the above
22. _______ is a bluish tint of the skin and mucus membranes due to reduced hemoglobin in the subpapillary venous plexus.
  1. Hypobasemia
  2. Flushing
  3. Cyanosis
  4. Cushing’s syndrome
23. Which of the following is NOT a cause of erroneously high blood pressure measurements?
  1. Cuff applied either too tightly or too loosely
  2. Inflation pressure held in the cuff
  3. Excessive pressure placed in the cuff during measurement
  4. The cuff’s pressure is decreased slowly
24. _______ can be affected by cerebral oxygenation, and indirectly by cardiac output.
  1. Skin color
  2. Pupillary size
  3. Sinuses
  4. Lymph nodes
25._______ determine which antibiotic will have the optimum inhibitory effect on the infecting bacterium.
  1. Pleural fluid analyses
  2. Urinalyses
  3. Sensitivity tests
  4. all the above

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