Below are recent practice questions under UNIT 1 -Medical-Surgical Nursing for Gastrointestinal Disorders. You can view your scores and the answers to all the questions by clicking on the SHOW RESULT red button at the end of the questions.
1. The maximum safe height at which the container of fluid can be held when administering an enema is?
30cm (12 inches)
37cm (15 inches)
66cm (26 inches)
45cm (18 inches)
2. The nurse is assessing a client’s gastrointestinal tract. Which of the following subjective assessments should be included?
Haematuria
Diarrhoea
Rebound tenderness
Generalized red abdominal rash
3. A client is diagnosed with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). The nurse’s instruction to the client regarding diet should be to?
Focus on three average size meals a day
Decrease intake of fatty foods
Avoid all raw fruit and vegetables
Increase intake of milk products
4. The nurse is planning the care of a client who has had an abdominal–perineal resection for cancer of the colon. Which interventions should the nurse implement? Select all that apply.
Provide meticulous skin care to stoma.
Position the client semi-recumbent.
Maintain the indwelling catheter.
Irrigate the JP drains every shift.
Assess the flank incision.
5. The nurse is doing an assessment on a client during the first postoperative day after abdominal surgery. Which of the following manifestations does the nurse report immediately?
Mild abdominal distention
Decreased bowel sounds
Leg swelling and calf pain
Inability to void immediately after urinary catheter is removed
6. The nurse is caring for a client with peptic ulcer disease. Which of the following observations should the nurse report immediately?
Select all that apply:
Headache
Diarrhoea
Restlessness
Tachycardia
Thirst
Hypotension
7. The nurses on a unit are planning for stoma care for clients who have a stoma for fecal diversion. Which stomal diversion poses the highest risk for skin breakdown?
Transverse colostomy
Ileal conduit
Sigmoid colostomy
Ileostomy
8. Which sign/symptom should the nurse expect to find in a client diagnosed with ulcerative colitis?
Hard, rigid abdomen.
Urinary stress incontinence.
Twenty bloody stools a day.
Oral temperature of 102˚F.
9. The nurse in the emergency room observes a physician examining a client with possible appendicitis. The physician presses downward on the right lower quadrant of the abdomen and asks the client to instruct him when he feels pain (application of pressure or pressure release). What is the physician assessing for?
Rebound tenderness
Rovsing’s sign
Turner’s sign
Ascites
10. The nurse is doing an assessment on a client during the first postoperative day after abdominal surgery. Which of the following manifestations does the nurse report immediately?
Mild abdominal distention
Decreased bowel sounds
Leg swelling and calf pain
Inability to void immediately after urinary catheter is removed
11. When preparing a client for insertion of a nasogastric tube, it is essential for the nurse to include which of the following aspects of the procedure?
Assist the client to assume a left-side-lying or recumbent position
Measure the tube from the tip of the nose to the earlobe to the xiphoid process
Tilt the client’s head back when the tube is being inserted
Instruct the client to avoid swallowing when the tube is felt in the back of the throat
12. Which of the following entries on a client’s progress notes is the MOST complete?
Client’s urinary output adequate
100 cc of dark green drainage from Nasogastric tube
Client seems anxious about low salt diet
Demerol 75mg administered for severe abdominal pain
13. An 82 year-old client complains of chronic constipation. To improve bowel function, the nurse should FIRST suggest?
Daily use of laxatives
Increasing fiber intake to 20-30 grams daily
Avoidance of binding foods such as cheese and chocolate
Monitoring a balance between activity and rest
14. The healthcare provider performs a paracentesis on a client with ascites and 3 liters of fluid are removed. Which assessment parameter is most critical for the nurse to monitor following the procedure?
Breath sounds.
Pedal pulses.
Vital signs.
Gag reflex.
15. A client with acute viral hepatitis has a serum bilirubin of 3.6 mg/dL on admission. A nurse should expect the client to report:
Tar-colored bowel movements.
Red, irritated eyes.
Dark orange urine.
A high fever for several days.
16. A client is complaining of epigastric pain after eating. The physician suspects peptic ulcer disease (PUD) and orders a urea breath test for H. pylori. Which would the nurse include in the teaching plan for test preparation?
Asking the client to bring a sputum sample with her for analysis
Clear liquids the day before the test
High-fat meal two hours before the test
Nothing by mouth the night before the test
17. In planning the post procedure care for a client who has a barium enema, the nurse should include which of the following? Select all that apply:
Monitor the client for a rise in body temperature and abdominal pain
Position the client on the right side
Maintain bed rest for 12 hours
Administer a laxative
Observe and record the amount of rectal drainage
Encourage fluids
18. The nurse is assessing a comatose client receiving gastric tube feedings. Which of the following assessments requires an IMMEDIATE response from the nurse?
Urine output of 250 cc in past eight hours
Decreased breath sounds in right lower lobe
Decrease in bowel sounds
Aspiration of a residual of 100cc of formula
19. The nurse is caring for a client with gastroenteritis. Which of the following nursing measures should receive priority in the client’s plan of care?
Encourage fluids and monitor intake and output
Provide foods the client likes and allow plenty of time for meals
Maintain a clean environment free from odours
Assist the client to wash hands and face before meals
20. The nurse is caring for a client who is receiving total parenteral nutrition (hyperalimentation and lipids). What is the PRIORITY nursing action on every eight hour shift?
Adjust the infusion rate to provide for total volume
Check urine glucose, acetone and specific gravity
Monitor blood pressure, temperature and weight
Change the tubing under sterile conditions
21. An 82 year-old client complains of chronic constipation. To improve bowel function, the nurse should FIRST suggest?
Increasing fiber intake to 20-30 grams daily
Daily use of laxatives
Avoidance of binding foods such as cheese and chocolate
Monitoring a balance between activity and rest
22. The nurse is explaining the proper use of syrup of ipecac to a group of parents. For which of the following accidental poisonings is the treatment appropriate?
Drain cleaner
Oven cleaner
Kerosene
Chewable vitamins
23. The nurse is caring for a client with cholecystitis. Which clinical manifestation would the nurse expect the client to exhibit?
Dysphagia
Hiccups
Fever
Bradycardia