BSN 246 – HESI Health Assessment | 200 Practice Questions
and Answers 2025 | Latest Update
1. A client with chronic asthma and hyperinflated lungs is undergoing thoracic
assessment. Which percussion finding should the nurse expect?
A) Tympany over lung apices
✅ B) Hyperresonance indicating overinflated airspaces
C) Dullness over lung bases
D) Flat sound over scapula area
2. During assessment of family history, which is the best approach to ensure
comprehensive information?
A) Record only the client’s siblings’ health status
✅ B) Document at least three generations of relatives and any chronic conditions
C) Ask about only first-degree relatives
D) Focus solely on inherited disorders
3. A client reports waking nightly to urinate several times. Which term should
the nurse use in documentation?
A) Polyuria
✅ B) Nocturia
C) Frequency
D) Oliguria
4. The nurse is checking for an apical-radial pulse deficit. Compared to a radial
pulse of 88, the apical rate reads 72. What should the next action be?
A) Document the difference as the deficit
B) Report it immediately
✅ C) Repeat the measurement to confirm accuracy
D) Ignore minor discrepancies
,5. A postmenopausal client has height reduction of approximately 1.5 inches over
the past year. Which condition should the nurse suspect?
A) Kyphosis
✅ B) Osteoporosis leading to vertebral compression fractures
C) Osteoarthritis
D) Muscle wasting
6. When palpating the thyroid, the nurse should use:
A) Light fingertip pressure over suprasternal notch
✅ B) Deep palpation on either side of the trachea
C) Palpation while the client turns their head side to side
D) Fingers just above and lateral to the umbilicus
7. Crepitus is heard with knee movement. Which history finding likely explains
this?
A) Healing from a torn ligament
B) Previous knee aspiration
✅ C) Long-term osteoarthritis and cartilage wear
D) Recent patellar dislocation
8. A client with gallstones reports jaundice. How should the nurse assess for this?
A) Inspect palms for reddening
B) Ask about dark urine
✅ C) Examine the sclera for icterus
D) Palpate abdominal skin for yellowing
9. The nurse notes large, hyperpigmented freckles (lentigines) on an older adult’s
hands. What should the nurse do?
A) Check for associated anemia
✅ B) Recognize them as normal age-related changes
,C) Order dermatology consult
D) Photograph as suspicious lesion
10. What is the correct term for high-pitched, rough heart sounds heard on
auscultation?
A) Murmur
✅ B) Friction rub
C) Thrill
D) Bruit
11. When auscultating lung fields, which technique is appropriate?
A) Ask the client to hold their breath
✅ B) Use the diaphragm firmly on skin to hear lower lobe sounds
C) Listen over clothes to maintain privacy
D) Start from the apex and stay anterior only S
12. Crepitus felt over the chest wall on palpation indicates:
A) Normal anatomical variation
✅ B) Subcutaneous air from trapped gas or post-trauma
C) Early sign of consolidation
D) Expectoration abnormalities
13. A client listens for tactile fremitus during assessment. When should the nurse
document increased fremitus?
A) Over healthy lung fields
✅ B) In areas of consolidation (e.g., pneumonia)
C) Over pleural effusion sites
D) At lung apices only
14. When inspecting fingernails, clubbing is suggested by:
, A) Depressed and pitted nail surface
B) Leukonychia moving distally with growth
✅ C) Nail base angle over 180° with loosened nail plate
D) Small white spots on nails
15. To assess orthopnea in a client with heart failure, the nurse should ask:
A) “Do you have nighttime coughing episodes?”
✅ B) “How many pillows do you use when you sleep?”
C) “Any dizziness at night?”
D) “Do you wake feeling short of breath right away?”
16. When a client experiences a pulse deficit, the nurse should:
A) Adjust documentation once reading is confirmed
✅ B) Repeat the measurement for accuracy
C) Report to provider immediately without repeat
D) Use radial pulse only
17. A client exhibits lower abdominal discomfort and returns with minimal urine
output. What's the nurse’s priority?
A) Send urine for labs
✅ B) Assess for bladder distention
C) Encourage fluid intake
D) Evaluate previous urination history
18. While examining nasal passages, pale, swollen turbinates suggest which
condition?
A) Purulent infection
✅ B) Allergic rhinitis
C) Nasal polyps
D) Deviated septum
and Answers 2025 | Latest Update
1. A client with chronic asthma and hyperinflated lungs is undergoing thoracic
assessment. Which percussion finding should the nurse expect?
A) Tympany over lung apices
✅ B) Hyperresonance indicating overinflated airspaces
C) Dullness over lung bases
D) Flat sound over scapula area
2. During assessment of family history, which is the best approach to ensure
comprehensive information?
A) Record only the client’s siblings’ health status
✅ B) Document at least three generations of relatives and any chronic conditions
C) Ask about only first-degree relatives
D) Focus solely on inherited disorders
3. A client reports waking nightly to urinate several times. Which term should
the nurse use in documentation?
A) Polyuria
✅ B) Nocturia
C) Frequency
D) Oliguria
4. The nurse is checking for an apical-radial pulse deficit. Compared to a radial
pulse of 88, the apical rate reads 72. What should the next action be?
A) Document the difference as the deficit
B) Report it immediately
✅ C) Repeat the measurement to confirm accuracy
D) Ignore minor discrepancies
,5. A postmenopausal client has height reduction of approximately 1.5 inches over
the past year. Which condition should the nurse suspect?
A) Kyphosis
✅ B) Osteoporosis leading to vertebral compression fractures
C) Osteoarthritis
D) Muscle wasting
6. When palpating the thyroid, the nurse should use:
A) Light fingertip pressure over suprasternal notch
✅ B) Deep palpation on either side of the trachea
C) Palpation while the client turns their head side to side
D) Fingers just above and lateral to the umbilicus
7. Crepitus is heard with knee movement. Which history finding likely explains
this?
A) Healing from a torn ligament
B) Previous knee aspiration
✅ C) Long-term osteoarthritis and cartilage wear
D) Recent patellar dislocation
8. A client with gallstones reports jaundice. How should the nurse assess for this?
A) Inspect palms for reddening
B) Ask about dark urine
✅ C) Examine the sclera for icterus
D) Palpate abdominal skin for yellowing
9. The nurse notes large, hyperpigmented freckles (lentigines) on an older adult’s
hands. What should the nurse do?
A) Check for associated anemia
✅ B) Recognize them as normal age-related changes
,C) Order dermatology consult
D) Photograph as suspicious lesion
10. What is the correct term for high-pitched, rough heart sounds heard on
auscultation?
A) Murmur
✅ B) Friction rub
C) Thrill
D) Bruit
11. When auscultating lung fields, which technique is appropriate?
A) Ask the client to hold their breath
✅ B) Use the diaphragm firmly on skin to hear lower lobe sounds
C) Listen over clothes to maintain privacy
D) Start from the apex and stay anterior only S
12. Crepitus felt over the chest wall on palpation indicates:
A) Normal anatomical variation
✅ B) Subcutaneous air from trapped gas or post-trauma
C) Early sign of consolidation
D) Expectoration abnormalities
13. A client listens for tactile fremitus during assessment. When should the nurse
document increased fremitus?
A) Over healthy lung fields
✅ B) In areas of consolidation (e.g., pneumonia)
C) Over pleural effusion sites
D) At lung apices only
14. When inspecting fingernails, clubbing is suggested by:
, A) Depressed and pitted nail surface
B) Leukonychia moving distally with growth
✅ C) Nail base angle over 180° with loosened nail plate
D) Small white spots on nails
15. To assess orthopnea in a client with heart failure, the nurse should ask:
A) “Do you have nighttime coughing episodes?”
✅ B) “How many pillows do you use when you sleep?”
C) “Any dizziness at night?”
D) “Do you wake feeling short of breath right away?”
16. When a client experiences a pulse deficit, the nurse should:
A) Adjust documentation once reading is confirmed
✅ B) Repeat the measurement for accuracy
C) Report to provider immediately without repeat
D) Use radial pulse only
17. A client exhibits lower abdominal discomfort and returns with minimal urine
output. What's the nurse’s priority?
A) Send urine for labs
✅ B) Assess for bladder distention
C) Encourage fluid intake
D) Evaluate previous urination history
18. While examining nasal passages, pale, swollen turbinates suggest which
condition?
A) Purulent infection
✅ B) Allergic rhinitis
C) Nasal polyps
D) Deviated septum
