Exam 12: Physical Assessment

The signs and symptoms of both infection and inflammation include erythema, edema, and pain. What is considered the major difference between infection and inflammation?

A physician needs to assess a patient's rectal area. In what position should the nurse place the patient?

Discoloration of an area of the skin or mucous membrane that is caused by the extravasation of blood into the subcutaneous tissues as a result of trauma to the underlying blood vessels or by fragility of the vessel walls is known as _________________.

During a physical assessment, the nurse notes that a patient's heart rate is 56 beats per minute. What should the nurse document that the patient is experiencing?

Listening for bowel sounds should be done over all four quadrants of the abdomen using the diaphragm of the stethoscope. What is the normal rate of bowel sounds per min-ute?

During a physical assessment, the nurse notes a patient passes frequent loose liquid stools. What should the nurse document that the patient is experiencing?

A nurse is caring for a patient with congestive heart failure. During the physical assessment, the nurse notes the patient is experiencing difficulty breathing. What should the nurse document that the patient is experiencing?

During a physical assessment, the nurse notes a patient has a bluish discoloration of the skin and mucous membranes. How should the nurse document this finding?

A physician needs to assess a patient for a heart murmur. In what position should the nurse place the patient?

During a physical assessment, the nurse notes that a patient has bright red blood in the feces. What does the nurse recognize as the most likely cause of this bleeding?

A circulatory condition in which the myocardium contracts steadily but at a rate of less than 60 contractions per minute is known as _________________.

A nurse is gathering subjective data when admitting a patient. Which assessment finding reported by the patient is considered subjective data?

A symptom of itching and an uncomfortable sensation leading to an urge to scratch is known as _____________.

An abnormal condition in which a person must sit or stand to breathe deeply or comfortably is known as ___________________.

An abnormally rapid rate of breathing that is seen in many disease conditions is known as ___________________.

During a physical assessment, the nurse listens for adventitious lung sounds. Crackles are classified as fine, medium, or coarse. When are these sounds most often auscultated?

When collecting data related to the present illness, the nurse must obtain detailed and comprehensive data. What does this data help to establish?

When assessing a patient, the nurse notes a yellow tinge to the patient's skin. How should the nurse document this finding?

The nurse assesses a patient for capillary refill after the fingernail is compressed for 5 seconds. What should the nurse expect the refill time to be?

When performing a nursing physical assessment, the nurse uses a head-to-toe approach. Where will the nurse begin when using this method?