N5362 – Community-Acquired
Pneumonia (CAP) Focused Exam study
guide based on the Shadow
Health platform, updated for
the 2026/2027 syllabus.
Section 1: Orientation & Communication (Beginning the Exam)
1. When entering the patient’s room for a CAP-focused exam, what is the first
priority action?
ANSWER ✓ Perform hand hygiene and introduce yourself, explaining the purpose of the
exam.
2. How should you address the patient (Tina Jones) to establish rapport?
ANSWER ✓ “Hello, Ms. Jones. My name is [your name], and I’m here to ask you more
about your breathing and cough today.”
3. What is the most therapeutic opening question for a patient with suspected
CAP?
ANSWER ✓ “Can you tell me what brought you to the clinic today?”
4. How do you verify the patient’s identity?
ANSWER ✓ Check the patient’s wristband and ask, “Can you please state your full name
and date of birth?”
5. What should you do if the patient appears in respiratory distress during the
introduction?
ANSWER ✓ Assess airway, breathing, and circulation (ABCs) immediately before
completing the full history.
, Section 2: Chief Complaint & History of Present Illness (HPI)
6. What is Ms. Jones’s chief complaint?
ANSWER ✓ “I’ve been having a bad cough and trouble breathing for the past 4 days.”
7. How would you ask about the onset of her symptoms?
ANSWER ✓ “When exactly did your cough and shortness of breath start?”
8. What question assesses the quality of her cough?
ANSWER ✓ “Can you describe your cough? Is it dry, wet, or hacking?”
9. How do you ask about sputum production?
ANSWER ✓ “Are you coughing up any mucus or phlegm? What color is it?”
10. What is the patient’s reported sputum color and consistency?
ANSWER ✓ Yellow-green, thick sputum.
11. How do you assess severity of shortness of breath?
ANSWER ✓ “On a scale of 0 to 10, with 10 being the worst, how would you rate your
breathing difficulty?”
12. What aggravates her breathing symptoms?
ANSWER ✓ Lying flat (orthopnea), walking short distances, talking for long periods.
13. What relieves her breathing symptoms?
ANSWER ✓ Sitting upright, using two pillows, resting.
14. Does she have chest pain? How to ask?
ANSWER ✓ “Are you having any pain or tightness in your chest when you breathe or
cough?”
15. What associated symptoms should be asked in CAP?
Pneumonia (CAP) Focused Exam study
guide based on the Shadow
Health platform, updated for
the 2026/2027 syllabus.
Section 1: Orientation & Communication (Beginning the Exam)
1. When entering the patient’s room for a CAP-focused exam, what is the first
priority action?
ANSWER ✓ Perform hand hygiene and introduce yourself, explaining the purpose of the
exam.
2. How should you address the patient (Tina Jones) to establish rapport?
ANSWER ✓ “Hello, Ms. Jones. My name is [your name], and I’m here to ask you more
about your breathing and cough today.”
3. What is the most therapeutic opening question for a patient with suspected
CAP?
ANSWER ✓ “Can you tell me what brought you to the clinic today?”
4. How do you verify the patient’s identity?
ANSWER ✓ Check the patient’s wristband and ask, “Can you please state your full name
and date of birth?”
5. What should you do if the patient appears in respiratory distress during the
introduction?
ANSWER ✓ Assess airway, breathing, and circulation (ABCs) immediately before
completing the full history.
, Section 2: Chief Complaint & History of Present Illness (HPI)
6. What is Ms. Jones’s chief complaint?
ANSWER ✓ “I’ve been having a bad cough and trouble breathing for the past 4 days.”
7. How would you ask about the onset of her symptoms?
ANSWER ✓ “When exactly did your cough and shortness of breath start?”
8. What question assesses the quality of her cough?
ANSWER ✓ “Can you describe your cough? Is it dry, wet, or hacking?”
9. How do you ask about sputum production?
ANSWER ✓ “Are you coughing up any mucus or phlegm? What color is it?”
10. What is the patient’s reported sputum color and consistency?
ANSWER ✓ Yellow-green, thick sputum.
11. How do you assess severity of shortness of breath?
ANSWER ✓ “On a scale of 0 to 10, with 10 being the worst, how would you rate your
breathing difficulty?”
12. What aggravates her breathing symptoms?
ANSWER ✓ Lying flat (orthopnea), walking short distances, talking for long periods.
13. What relieves her breathing symptoms?
ANSWER ✓ Sitting upright, using two pillows, resting.
14. Does she have chest pain? How to ask?
ANSWER ✓ “Are you having any pain or tightness in your chest when you breathe or
cough?”
15. What associated symptoms should be asked in CAP?
