ATI RN
Gastrointestinal System Nursing Exam Questions
1. A nurse is reviewing the orders of a client admitted to the hospital with a diagnosis of acute pancreatitis. Select the interventions that the nurse would expect to be prescribed for the client.
- A. Small, frequent high-calorie feedings.
- B. Meperidine (Demerol) as prescribed for pain.
- C. Place the client in a side-lying position with the head elevated 45-degrees.
- D. Administer antacids and anticholinergics to suppress gastrointestinal secretions.
Correct answer: B
Rationale: The correct intervention for a client with acute pancreatitis is to prescribe pain medications such as meperidine to manage the abdominal pain, which is a prominent symptom of the condition. The other options are incorrect because: A) Clients with acute pancreatitis are normally placed on NPO (nothing by mouth) status to rest the pancreas, so small, frequent high-calorie feedings are not indicated. C) Placing the client in a side-lying position with the head elevated 45-degrees helps decrease tension on the abdomen and may ease pain, but it is not a standard intervention for acute pancreatitis. D) Administering antacids and anticholinergics to suppress gastrointestinal secretions is not a routine intervention for acute pancreatitis.
2. You’re performing an abdominal assessment on Brent who is 52 y.o. In which order do you proceed?
- A. Observation, percussion, palpation, auscultation
- B. Observation, auscultation, percussion, palpation
- C. Percussion, palpation, auscultation, observation
- D. Palpation, percussion, observation, auscultation
Correct answer: B
Rationale: The correct order for performing an abdominal assessment is observation, auscultation, percussion, and palpation.
3. The nurse is reviewing the record of a client with Crohn’s disease. Which of the following stool characteristics would the nurse expect to note documented on the client’s record?
- A. Chronic constipation
- B. Diarrhea
- C. Constipation alternating with diarrhea
- D. Stool constantly oozing from the rectum
Correct answer: B
Rationale: Diarrhea is a common stool characteristic in clients with Crohn’s disease due to inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract.
4. In a client with Crohn’s disease, which of the following symptoms should not be a direct result from antibiotic therapy?
- A. Decrease in bleeding
- B. Decrease in temperature
- C. Decrease in body weight
- D. Decrease in the number of stools
Correct answer: C
Rationale: Decrease in body weight is not a direct result of antibiotic therapy but may occur due to the underlying disease process.
5. You’re patient, post-op drainage of a pelvic abscess secondary to diverticulitis, begins to cough violently after drinking water. His wound has ruptured and a small segment of the bowel is protruding. What’s your priority?
- A. Ask the patient what happened, call the doctor, and cover the area with a water-soaked bedsheet.
- B. Obtain vital signs, call the doctor, and obtain emergency orders.
- C. Have a CAN hold the wound together while you obtain vital signs, call the doctor and flex the patient’s knees.
- D. Have the doctor called while you remain with the patient, flex the patient’s knees, and cover the wound with sterile towels soaked in sterile saline solution.
Correct answer: D
Rationale: For a patient with a ruptured wound and protruding bowel, call the doctor while remaining with the patient, flex the patient’s knees, and cover the wound with sterile towels soaked in sterile saline solution.
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