ATI LPN
Nursing Vital Signs Practice Questions Questions
Question 1 of 5
For a palliative care patient whose cancer tumor is impinging on a nerve, the drug that may show some usefulness is
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Amitriptyline, a tricyclic antidepressant, is commonly used for neuropathic pain (e.g., nerve impingement) due to its analgesic properties. Atropine and hyoscine manage secretions, and fluoxetine treats depression, not pain directly.
Question 2 of 5
Nurses have the potential to be very influential in shaping healthcare policy. Which factor contributes most to nurses' influence?
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Nurses are trusted professionals and the largest health professional group, giving them significant political power to effect policy changes due to their numbers and public trust.
Question 3 of 5
A patient who underwent a total abdominal hysterectomy is assisted out of bed as soon as her vital signs are stable. Which item is directing this intervention?
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: A critical pathway is a multidisciplinary approach that sequences interventions over a length of stay for a specific case type like a hysterectomy, allowing the patient to be assisted out of bed as soon as vital signs are stable.
Question 4 of 5
A patient arrives at the outpatient clinic complaining of a headache. His face is flushed, and blood pressure is 170/88 mm Hg in the right arm and 188/92 mm Hg in the left arm. He reports that he ran out of blood pressure medication last week and has been unable to afford to refill the prescription. What is the nurse's priority nursing action?
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: The elevated BP (170/88 and 188/92 mm Hg) indicates a hypertensive urgency, especially given the patient’s history of missed medication. Notifying the health care provider is the priority to ensure rapid medical intervention (e.g., medication adjustment). Relaxation may lower BP slightly, but the values are too high to delay; financial assistance is secondary; cuff size adjustment is unlikely the issue given bilateral elevation.
Question 5 of 5
When measuring blood pressure in a sitting position, the brachial artery should be flat
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: The brachial artery should be at heart level, approximately the 4th costal cartilage (C) in a sitting position, to avoid gravitational effects on pressure readings. Higher (A, B) or lower (D) positions distort accuracy.