Test Bank Brunner and Suddarth's Textbook of Medical-Surgical Nursing 15th Edition
UNIT 1 PRINCIPLES OF NURSING PRACTICE
Brunner & Suddarthts Textbook of Medical Surgical Nursing 15th Edition
Chapter 1: Professional Nursing Practice
When the nurse encourages a patient with heart failure to alternate rest and activity periods to reduce cardiac
workload, which phase of the nursing process is being used?
A. Planning
B. Diagnosis
C. Evaluation
D. Implementation
D. Implementation
Carrying out a specific, individualized plan constitutes the implementation phase of the nursing process. The nurse's
action of encouragement and instruction to the patient is part of carrying out a plan of action.
When planning care for a patient, the nurse may use a visual diagram of patient problems and interventions to
illustrate the relationships among pertinent clinical data. This format is called a
A. concept map.
B. critical pathway.
C. clinical pathway.
D. nursing care plan.
A. concept map
A concept map is another method of recording a nursing care plan. In a concept map, the nursing process is recorded in
a visual diagram of patient problems and interventions. A clinical (critical) pathway is a prewritten plan that directs the
Test Bank Page 1
, Test Bank Brunner and Suddarth's Textbook of Medical-Surgical Nursing 15th Edition
entire interprofessional care team in the daily care goals for select health care problems.
A nurse is providing care for a patient who had a transurethral resection of his prostate this morning. The patient is
receiving continuous bladder irrigation, and the urinary catheter is now occluded. The nurse is planning to contact
the patientts health care provider and communicate using the SBAR (Situation-Background-Assessment-
Recommendation) format. Which statement is a component of communication using SBAR?
A. "What do you think could be causing this occlusion?"
B. "I think that we should manually irrigate his catheter."
C. "What do you know about this patient and his history?"
D. "Could you please provide some direction for his care?"
B."I think that we should manually irrigate his catheter."
Proposing a recommendation is a component of the "R" component of SBAR communication. Asking the health care
provider for possible contributing factors to the problem or for general direction may be appropriate in some
circumstances, but these are not explicit components of SBAR. The nurse should briefly identify the patient and his
circumstances, not ask an open-ended question regarding the health care provider's familiarity.
What factor has been most clearly identified as an influence on the future of nursing practice?
A. Aging of the American population and increases in chronic illnesses Correct
B. Increasing birth rates coupled with decreased average life expectancy
C. Increased awareness of determinants of health and improved self-care
D. Apathy around health behaviors and the relationship of lifestyle to health
A. Aging of the American population and increases in chronic illnesses
The American population is aging at the same time that the incidence of chronic health conditions is increasing. There is
no noted increase in the overall awareness of the determinants of health, but at the same time, observers have not
identified apathy as a predominant attitude. Life expectancy is increasing, not decreasing.
Test Bank Page 2
, Test Bank Brunner and Suddarth's Textbook of Medical-Surgical Nursing 15th Edition
A registered nurse (RN) has delegated the administration of IV medications to a licensed practical/vocational nurse
(LPN/LVN). Which statement accurately describes delegation?
A. The RN must teach the LPN how to administer the IV medications.
B. Ultimate responsibility for administering the medication lies with the LPN..
C. The RN is responsible for observing the LPN administer the IV medication
D. The RN is the one accountable for the quality of care that the patient receives.
D. The RN is the one accountable for the quality of care that the patient receives.
Delegation entails a redistribution of nursing work, but the RN remains ultimately responsible and accountable for the
execution of the task. It would be inappropriate to delegate if the LPN was unfamiliar with the task. The RN is not obliged
to observe the LPN's execution of the task.
In which patient care delivery model does the nurse plan and coordinate the aspects of patient care with other
disciplines focusing on continuity of care and interprofessional collaboration even if the nurse is absent?
A. Team nursing model
B. Primary nursing model
C. Total patient care model
D. Case management nursing model
B. Primary nursing model
The primary nursing model includes planning the patient's care and coordinating and communicating all aspects of care
with other disciplines and those providing care in the nurse's absence. The focus is on continuity of care and
interprofessional collaboration. Team nursing uses the RN as the team leader to organize and manage the care for a
group of patients with other ancillary workers. The RN has authority and accountability for the quality of care delivered by
the team only during the work period. In a total patient care model, the nurse is accountable for the complete care of the
patient during the assigned shift. Case management is not a model of care delivery but a collaborative process that
involves assessing, planning, facilitating, and advocating for health services with a variety of resources to promote cost-
effective outcomes.
Test Bank Page 3
, Test Bank Brunner and Suddarth's Textbook of Medical-Surgical Nursing 15th Edition
A nurse with an associate or baccalaureate degree who meets licensing requirements is qualified to practice as
A. a nurse practitioner.
B. a certified specialist.
C. an entry-level generalist.
D. an advanced practice nurse.
C. an entry-level generalist
Entry-level nurses with an associate or baccalaureate degree are prepared to function as generalists. With experience and
continued study, nurses may specialize in an area of practice and may obtain certification in nursing specialties.
Certification usually requires clinical experience and successful completion of an examination. A nurse practitioner is an
example of an advanced practice nurse. An advanced practice nurse has a minimum of a master's degree with advanced
education in pharmacology and physical assessment as well as expertise in a specialized area of practice.
When nurses disagree about the effectiveness of a commonly practiced nursing intervention, the best evidence for
determining which intervention to use is
A. a systematic review of randomized controlled trials. B. a qualitative research study with a large sample size
C. a methodological Internet search using key medical terms.
D. anecdotal evidence retrieved from two or more case studies.
A. a systematic review of randomized controlled trials.
Systematic reviews of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are considered the strongest level of evidence to answer
questions about interventions (i.e., cause and effect).
The nurse establishes priorities and determines outcomes for an individual patient during which phase of the
nursing process?
A. Analysis
B. Planning
C. Evaluation
Test Bank Page 4
UNIT 1 PRINCIPLES OF NURSING PRACTICE
Brunner & Suddarthts Textbook of Medical Surgical Nursing 15th Edition
Chapter 1: Professional Nursing Practice
When the nurse encourages a patient with heart failure to alternate rest and activity periods to reduce cardiac
workload, which phase of the nursing process is being used?
A. Planning
B. Diagnosis
C. Evaluation
D. Implementation
D. Implementation
Carrying out a specific, individualized plan constitutes the implementation phase of the nursing process. The nurse's
action of encouragement and instruction to the patient is part of carrying out a plan of action.
When planning care for a patient, the nurse may use a visual diagram of patient problems and interventions to
illustrate the relationships among pertinent clinical data. This format is called a
A. concept map.
B. critical pathway.
C. clinical pathway.
D. nursing care plan.
A. concept map
A concept map is another method of recording a nursing care plan. In a concept map, the nursing process is recorded in
a visual diagram of patient problems and interventions. A clinical (critical) pathway is a prewritten plan that directs the
Test Bank Page 1
, Test Bank Brunner and Suddarth's Textbook of Medical-Surgical Nursing 15th Edition
entire interprofessional care team in the daily care goals for select health care problems.
A nurse is providing care for a patient who had a transurethral resection of his prostate this morning. The patient is
receiving continuous bladder irrigation, and the urinary catheter is now occluded. The nurse is planning to contact
the patientts health care provider and communicate using the SBAR (Situation-Background-Assessment-
Recommendation) format. Which statement is a component of communication using SBAR?
A. "What do you think could be causing this occlusion?"
B. "I think that we should manually irrigate his catheter."
C. "What do you know about this patient and his history?"
D. "Could you please provide some direction for his care?"
B."I think that we should manually irrigate his catheter."
Proposing a recommendation is a component of the "R" component of SBAR communication. Asking the health care
provider for possible contributing factors to the problem or for general direction may be appropriate in some
circumstances, but these are not explicit components of SBAR. The nurse should briefly identify the patient and his
circumstances, not ask an open-ended question regarding the health care provider's familiarity.
What factor has been most clearly identified as an influence on the future of nursing practice?
A. Aging of the American population and increases in chronic illnesses Correct
B. Increasing birth rates coupled with decreased average life expectancy
C. Increased awareness of determinants of health and improved self-care
D. Apathy around health behaviors and the relationship of lifestyle to health
A. Aging of the American population and increases in chronic illnesses
The American population is aging at the same time that the incidence of chronic health conditions is increasing. There is
no noted increase in the overall awareness of the determinants of health, but at the same time, observers have not
identified apathy as a predominant attitude. Life expectancy is increasing, not decreasing.
Test Bank Page 2
, Test Bank Brunner and Suddarth's Textbook of Medical-Surgical Nursing 15th Edition
A registered nurse (RN) has delegated the administration of IV medications to a licensed practical/vocational nurse
(LPN/LVN). Which statement accurately describes delegation?
A. The RN must teach the LPN how to administer the IV medications.
B. Ultimate responsibility for administering the medication lies with the LPN..
C. The RN is responsible for observing the LPN administer the IV medication
D. The RN is the one accountable for the quality of care that the patient receives.
D. The RN is the one accountable for the quality of care that the patient receives.
Delegation entails a redistribution of nursing work, but the RN remains ultimately responsible and accountable for the
execution of the task. It would be inappropriate to delegate if the LPN was unfamiliar with the task. The RN is not obliged
to observe the LPN's execution of the task.
In which patient care delivery model does the nurse plan and coordinate the aspects of patient care with other
disciplines focusing on continuity of care and interprofessional collaboration even if the nurse is absent?
A. Team nursing model
B. Primary nursing model
C. Total patient care model
D. Case management nursing model
B. Primary nursing model
The primary nursing model includes planning the patient's care and coordinating and communicating all aspects of care
with other disciplines and those providing care in the nurse's absence. The focus is on continuity of care and
interprofessional collaboration. Team nursing uses the RN as the team leader to organize and manage the care for a
group of patients with other ancillary workers. The RN has authority and accountability for the quality of care delivered by
the team only during the work period. In a total patient care model, the nurse is accountable for the complete care of the
patient during the assigned shift. Case management is not a model of care delivery but a collaborative process that
involves assessing, planning, facilitating, and advocating for health services with a variety of resources to promote cost-
effective outcomes.
Test Bank Page 3
, Test Bank Brunner and Suddarth's Textbook of Medical-Surgical Nursing 15th Edition
A nurse with an associate or baccalaureate degree who meets licensing requirements is qualified to practice as
A. a nurse practitioner.
B. a certified specialist.
C. an entry-level generalist.
D. an advanced practice nurse.
C. an entry-level generalist
Entry-level nurses with an associate or baccalaureate degree are prepared to function as generalists. With experience and
continued study, nurses may specialize in an area of practice and may obtain certification in nursing specialties.
Certification usually requires clinical experience and successful completion of an examination. A nurse practitioner is an
example of an advanced practice nurse. An advanced practice nurse has a minimum of a master's degree with advanced
education in pharmacology and physical assessment as well as expertise in a specialized area of practice.
When nurses disagree about the effectiveness of a commonly practiced nursing intervention, the best evidence for
determining which intervention to use is
A. a systematic review of randomized controlled trials. B. a qualitative research study with a large sample size
C. a methodological Internet search using key medical terms.
D. anecdotal evidence retrieved from two or more case studies.
A. a systematic review of randomized controlled trials.
Systematic reviews of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are considered the strongest level of evidence to answer
questions about interventions (i.e., cause and effect).
The nurse establishes priorities and determines outcomes for an individual patient during which phase of the
nursing process?
A. Analysis
B. Planning
C. Evaluation
Test Bank Page 4
