PCC Final Exam Class Review
Questions
A nurse asks a patient, "what does the pain feel like?" What characteristic of pain is the
nurse assessing?
a. intensity
b. quality
c. periodicity
d. duration - answerb. quality
Which nursing intervention is most important for the patient receiving an opioid pain
medication after surgery?
a. give the medication before the pain becomes too severe
b. encourage coughing and deep breathing to keep the lungs expanded
c. assess for signs and symptoms of tolerance to the opioid medication
d. monitor for a respiratory rate of less than 10 breaths/minute - answerd. monitor for a
respiratory rate of less than 10 breaths/minute
A patient on a medical unit tells a nurse, "my heart hurts." What is the nurse's most
appropriate response?
a. alert the rapid response team
b. obtain the patient's vitals
c. say, "your heart hurts"
d. state, "please be more specific about how it hurts" - answerd. state, "please be more
specific about how it hurts"
A nurse is assessing the presence of pain in a variety of patients. Which patient
condition may cause phantom pain?
a. acute appendicitis
b. above the knee amputation
c. spinal surgery
d. myocardial infarction - answerb. above the knee amputation
What is most important for the nurse to teach the patient using patient-controlled
analgesia (PCA) to control pain?
a. an extra dose of medication is delivered when the button is pressed
b. pressing the button too soon for pain medication could give extra doses
c. pain medication should be administered before the pain becomes intense
d. use deep breathing exercises to enhance the effect of the PCA - answerc. pain
medication should be administered before the pain becomes intense
, Which nursing intervention is most important when providing nursing care to a patient
experiencing pain?
a. use a distraction technique
b. teach muscle relaxation exercises
c. encourage breathing exercises
d. validate the presence of pain - answerd. validate the presence of pain
A nurse is caring for a patient who is reporting pain the jaw from cardiac insufficiency.
What type of pain is this?
a. cutaneous
b. radiating
c. referred
d. visceral - answerc. referred
What will the nurse assess for in a patient admitted with chronic pain?
a. increased heart rate
b. dilated pupils
c. decreased blood pressure
d. increased respiratory rate - answerc. decreased blood pressure
What is the term to describe the end of life patient who needs increasingly more pain
medication to control pain?
a. addiction
b. under-treatment
c. tolerance
d. abuse - answerc. tolerance
What is a major risk factor for a patient to develop a pressure ulcer?
a. lack of blood flow to affected area
b. being over 70 years old
c. inadequate venous return from extremities
d. not getting out of bed for 2 days - answera. lack of blood flow to affected area
What complication occurs with protrusion of internal viscera from a patient's incision
after surgery?
a. infection
b. pressure injury
c. dehiscence
d. evisceration - answerd. evisceration
The nurse finds a red area on the immobile patient's sacrum. What should the nurse do
first?
a. turn the patient on their side
b. fill out an incident report
c. call the healthcare provider to get antibiotics ordered
Questions
A nurse asks a patient, "what does the pain feel like?" What characteristic of pain is the
nurse assessing?
a. intensity
b. quality
c. periodicity
d. duration - answerb. quality
Which nursing intervention is most important for the patient receiving an opioid pain
medication after surgery?
a. give the medication before the pain becomes too severe
b. encourage coughing and deep breathing to keep the lungs expanded
c. assess for signs and symptoms of tolerance to the opioid medication
d. monitor for a respiratory rate of less than 10 breaths/minute - answerd. monitor for a
respiratory rate of less than 10 breaths/minute
A patient on a medical unit tells a nurse, "my heart hurts." What is the nurse's most
appropriate response?
a. alert the rapid response team
b. obtain the patient's vitals
c. say, "your heart hurts"
d. state, "please be more specific about how it hurts" - answerd. state, "please be more
specific about how it hurts"
A nurse is assessing the presence of pain in a variety of patients. Which patient
condition may cause phantom pain?
a. acute appendicitis
b. above the knee amputation
c. spinal surgery
d. myocardial infarction - answerb. above the knee amputation
What is most important for the nurse to teach the patient using patient-controlled
analgesia (PCA) to control pain?
a. an extra dose of medication is delivered when the button is pressed
b. pressing the button too soon for pain medication could give extra doses
c. pain medication should be administered before the pain becomes intense
d. use deep breathing exercises to enhance the effect of the PCA - answerc. pain
medication should be administered before the pain becomes intense
, Which nursing intervention is most important when providing nursing care to a patient
experiencing pain?
a. use a distraction technique
b. teach muscle relaxation exercises
c. encourage breathing exercises
d. validate the presence of pain - answerd. validate the presence of pain
A nurse is caring for a patient who is reporting pain the jaw from cardiac insufficiency.
What type of pain is this?
a. cutaneous
b. radiating
c. referred
d. visceral - answerc. referred
What will the nurse assess for in a patient admitted with chronic pain?
a. increased heart rate
b. dilated pupils
c. decreased blood pressure
d. increased respiratory rate - answerc. decreased blood pressure
What is the term to describe the end of life patient who needs increasingly more pain
medication to control pain?
a. addiction
b. under-treatment
c. tolerance
d. abuse - answerc. tolerance
What is a major risk factor for a patient to develop a pressure ulcer?
a. lack of blood flow to affected area
b. being over 70 years old
c. inadequate venous return from extremities
d. not getting out of bed for 2 days - answera. lack of blood flow to affected area
What complication occurs with protrusion of internal viscera from a patient's incision
after surgery?
a. infection
b. pressure injury
c. dehiscence
d. evisceration - answerd. evisceration
The nurse finds a red area on the immobile patient's sacrum. What should the nurse do
first?
a. turn the patient on their side
b. fill out an incident report
c. call the healthcare provider to get antibiotics ordered
