THORAX AND LUNGS HEALTH ASSESSMENT EXAM QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS
Subjective Data - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Patient's perspective, symptoms, complaints.
Cannot be measured.
EX: Shortness of Air, "I can't get a breath" "My chest hurt" " I have a history of high blood pressure." " I
smoke every day."
Objective Data - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Info gathered from "observation"
Gathered by self's 5 senses
Can be Measured
EX: Vital Signs, "Breath Sounds clear to auscultation" "Rhonchi Auscultated bilaterally" "Patient is
diaphoretic"
What questions do you ask to gather a complete pulmonary health history? - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Do
you have any chronic illnesses?
Allergies?
Medications for pulmonary disease?
Have you ever had any lung problems in the past?
Every been diagnosed with respiratory disease such as asthma, bronchitis, COPD, COVID, CF, cancer etc.
Any history of chest trauma, injury or surgery? If so what kind?
Any family history of lung disease, if yes who, what relation, what diagnosis.
Do you smoke, Have you ever? Have you tried to quit? What made it unsuccessful? Have you tried
medications to stop? Do you want to stop now? What do you smoke and how much?
Environmental factors - pollution, exposure to 2nd hand smoke, type of heating/cooling, air pollution,
coal miner?
Have you recently traveled? Where? Out of country?
What are pulmonary landmarks? - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅apex
diaphragmatic surface
costal surface
, mediastinal surface
anterior margin
posterior margin
inferior margin
pulmonary fissures
What is basic lung anatomy? - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅
Auscultation of lungs - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅auscultate the posterior thorax for sounds side to side.
listen over bare skin to entire respiratory cycle of inspiration and expiration.
pulmonary assessment, subjective data to gather - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅-Do you have a cough? How
long have you had a cough? (subjective) Have you treated the cough? Is it productive? Describe the
cough.
Do you have shortness of breath? With exertion? What triggers it? What helps? Does it come and go?
Do you have chest pain when breathing? On inhalation or exhalation? Did it start suddenly? Where is
the pain? How long have you had it? Does it radiate? What makes it better or worse?
pulmonary assessment - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅-General appearance? Relaxed? Breathing effortlessly
or struggling? Nasal flaring? Accessory muscle use? Cyanotic? ---Pale? Diaphoretic? Is their skin warm or
cold?
-Respiratory rate and pattern Normal? Tachypnea, bradypnea. -Is the rate normal (12-20 adults), if
abnormal or irregular count for 60 seconds, (count for 60 seconds on all peds patients) Are they having
apnea? are respirations smooth with even depth bilaterally?
-Nail color and capillary refill. Do they have nail clubbing?
-oxygen saturation
-Auscultate the chest, adventitious lung sounds?
-are they sitting tripod position?
-are they tachycardiac?
-Gently palpate chest wall using fingers.
ANSWERS
Subjective Data - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Patient's perspective, symptoms, complaints.
Cannot be measured.
EX: Shortness of Air, "I can't get a breath" "My chest hurt" " I have a history of high blood pressure." " I
smoke every day."
Objective Data - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Info gathered from "observation"
Gathered by self's 5 senses
Can be Measured
EX: Vital Signs, "Breath Sounds clear to auscultation" "Rhonchi Auscultated bilaterally" "Patient is
diaphoretic"
What questions do you ask to gather a complete pulmonary health history? - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅Do
you have any chronic illnesses?
Allergies?
Medications for pulmonary disease?
Have you ever had any lung problems in the past?
Every been diagnosed with respiratory disease such as asthma, bronchitis, COPD, COVID, CF, cancer etc.
Any history of chest trauma, injury or surgery? If so what kind?
Any family history of lung disease, if yes who, what relation, what diagnosis.
Do you smoke, Have you ever? Have you tried to quit? What made it unsuccessful? Have you tried
medications to stop? Do you want to stop now? What do you smoke and how much?
Environmental factors - pollution, exposure to 2nd hand smoke, type of heating/cooling, air pollution,
coal miner?
Have you recently traveled? Where? Out of country?
What are pulmonary landmarks? - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅apex
diaphragmatic surface
costal surface
, mediastinal surface
anterior margin
posterior margin
inferior margin
pulmonary fissures
What is basic lung anatomy? - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅
Auscultation of lungs - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅auscultate the posterior thorax for sounds side to side.
listen over bare skin to entire respiratory cycle of inspiration and expiration.
pulmonary assessment, subjective data to gather - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅-Do you have a cough? How
long have you had a cough? (subjective) Have you treated the cough? Is it productive? Describe the
cough.
Do you have shortness of breath? With exertion? What triggers it? What helps? Does it come and go?
Do you have chest pain when breathing? On inhalation or exhalation? Did it start suddenly? Where is
the pain? How long have you had it? Does it radiate? What makes it better or worse?
pulmonary assessment - CORRECT ANSWER✅✅-General appearance? Relaxed? Breathing effortlessly
or struggling? Nasal flaring? Accessory muscle use? Cyanotic? ---Pale? Diaphoretic? Is their skin warm or
cold?
-Respiratory rate and pattern Normal? Tachypnea, bradypnea. -Is the rate normal (12-20 adults), if
abnormal or irregular count for 60 seconds, (count for 60 seconds on all peds patients) Are they having
apnea? are respirations smooth with even depth bilaterally?
-Nail color and capillary refill. Do they have nail clubbing?
-oxygen saturation
-Auscultate the chest, adventitious lung sounds?
-are they sitting tripod position?
-are they tachycardiac?
-Gently palpate chest wall using fingers.
