ARRT Patient Care and Management 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which of the following is an example of informed consent?
- A patient signing a general hospital admission form
- A patient verbally agreeing to a chest X-ray because 'the doctor said so'
- A patient acknowledging risks, benefits, and alternatives after a clear explanation before agreeing to a procedure (Correct answer)
- A radiologic technologist explaining the procedure only after positioning the patient
Correct answer: A patient acknowledging risks, benefits, and alternatives after a clear explanation before agreeing to a procedure
True informed consent requires that the patient understands the procedure, its risks and benefits, and alternatives, then voluntarily agrees before the procedure begins.
Question 2: A patient on anticoagulation therapy (warfarin) falls in the imaging room. After ensuring the patient's safety, the MOST important next step is:
- Complete the imaging exam first, then document the fall
- Notify the physician immediately because anticoagulated patients have elevated bleeding risk (Correct answer)
- Reassure the patient and return them to the waiting area
- Administer vitamin K as an antidote
Correct answer: Notify the physician immediately because anticoagulated patients have elevated bleeding risk
Patients on anticoagulants have a significantly elevated risk of internal bleeding after falls, requiring immediate physician notification and evaluation.
Question 3: When caring for a patient with an indwelling urinary (Foley) catheter during transport, the drainage bag should be:
- Placed on the patient's abdomen for easy access
- Clamped and disconnected during transport
- Kept below the level of the bladder at all times (Correct answer)
- Emptied and the tube left open to air
Correct answer: Kept below the level of the bladder at all times
The drainage bag must remain below bladder level to prevent retrograde flow of urine back into the bladder, which can cause infection.
Question 4: A conscious patient refuses to continue a radiographic procedure mid-exam. The technologist should:
- Continue the exam because incomplete studies are clinically useless
- Restrain the patient and complete the necessary images
- Respect the patient's right to refuse and notify the supervising physician (Correct answer)
- Call security to manage the patient
Correct answer: Respect the patient's right to refuse and notify the supervising physician
Competent adult patients have the legal and ethical right to refuse any medical procedure at any time; the technologist must honor this and inform the physician.
Question 5: Which of the following best describes the 'patient care hand-off' communication standard?
- Verbally summarizing findings to the patient's family
- A structured transfer of responsibility that includes current status, outstanding tasks, and potential complications (Correct answer)
- Handing physical records to the next department
- Documenting the exam in the PACS system
Correct answer: A structured transfer of responsibility that includes current status, outstanding tasks, and potential complications
A hand-off is a structured (often using SBAR or I-PASS) communication that transfers patient care responsibility between providers, including clinical status and pending issues.
Question 6: Which of the following contrast media reactions is classified as a physiologic (non-allergic) reaction?
- Urticaria
- Bronchospasm
- Warmth and flushing immediately after contrast injection (Correct answer)
- Laryngeal edema
Correct answer: Warmth and flushing immediately after contrast injection
Warmth and flushing are physiologic (chemotoxic) effects of contrast media osmolality and vasodilation, not an immune-mediated allergic response.
Question 7: A patient receiving oxygen therapy via simple face mask must receive a minimum flow rate of:
- 1-2 L/min
- 2-4 L/min
- 5-6 L/min (Correct answer)
- 10-12 L/min
Correct answer: 5-6 L/min
A simple face mask requires a minimum flow of 5-6 L/min to flush expired CO2 from the mask reservoir and prevent rebreathing.
ARRT Patient Care and Management 5
Which of the following is an example of informed consent?