ATI RN
Chapter 12 Vital Signs Assessment Questions
Question 1 of 5
A patient informs the nurse that she still uses a mercury thermometer to take the temperature of her children when they are sick. Which of the following is a recommended teaching guideline for patients using these types of thermometers?
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Mercury thermometers pose risks due to toxicity if broken, making patient education vital. Encouraging alternative devices like digital thermometers is a proactive, safe recommendation, reducing exposure risk while maintaining functionality. Teaching safety about breakage is useful but incomplete without promoting alternatives. Telling patients to discard mercury thermometers in the trash is unsafe, as mercury requires special disposal, not regular waste. Restricting use to hospitals is impractical and ignores home needs. Choice C is correct because it aligns with public health guidelines (e.g., CDC) to phase out mercury thermometers, offering a practical, safe solution for home use, enhancing family safety and modernizing care practices.
Question 2 of 5
The nurse is caring for a patient who reports feeling light-headed and 'woozy.' The nurse checks the patient's pulse and finds that it is irregular. The patient's blood pressure is 100/72. It was 113/80 an hour earlier. What should the nurse do?
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Light-headedness, irregular pulse, and a BP drop (100/72 from 113/80) suggest instability (e.g., arrhythmia). Notifying the provider ensures prompt evaluation. More pressure won't clarify irregularity. Dismissing symptoms or delaying risks deterioration. Choice B is correct, per nursing escalation protocols.
Question 3 of 5
The five primary vital signs routinely monitored by both caregivers and medical professionals and highlighted in this training, include the following:
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: The five primary vital signs are body temperature, blood pressure, heart rate (pulse), respiratory rate, and oxygen saturation . Weight and height/BMI (B, C) are additional metrics, not core vital signs. Choice D is correct, listing the standard set monitored in clinical practice, per nursing and medical guidelines (e.g., WHO, ANA), essential for comprehensive patient assessment and detecting acute changes.
Question 4 of 5
You observe a nursing student taking a blood pressure (BP) on a patient. The patient's BP range over the past 24 hours is 132/64 to 126/72 mm Hg. The student used a BP cuff that was too narrow for the patient. Which of the following BP readings made by the student is most likely caused by the incorrect choice of BP cuff?
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: Failed to generate a rationale of 500+ characters after 5 retries.
Question 5 of 5
The patient is found to be unresponsive and not breathing. To determine the presence of central blood circulation and circulation of blood to the brain, the nurse checks the patient's pulse.
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: Failed to generate a rationale of 500+ characters after 5 retries.