Patient Assessment and Planning Flashcards
7 cards from real CHPN practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Patient Assessment and Planning flashcards as text
A hospice nurse uses the Edmonton Symptom Assessment System (ESAS). Which symptom domain does ESAS NOT directly measure?
Answer: Spiritual distress
ESAS measures physical and psychological symptoms (pain, dyspnea, nausea, depression, anxiety, drowsiness, appetite, wellbeing, tiredness) but does not directly measure spiritual distress.
When assessing a patient with dementia for pain, which behavioral indicator is MOST reliable?
Answer: Facial grimacing and guarding
In patients with dementia who cannot self-report, behavioral indicators such as facial grimacing and guarding are the most direct observable signs of pain.
Which functional assessment tool stratifies patients into seven levels based on progressive loss of cognitive and functional abilities in dementia?
Answer: FAST (Functional Assessment Staging Tool)
The FAST scale stages dementia from normal aging (Stage 1) through severe dementia with loss of all functional abilities (Stage 7), and Stage 7C indicates hospice eligibility.
A palliative nurse assesses a patient's goals of care. The patient states, 'I just want to be able to attend my granddaughter's wedding in three months.' This is best classified as:
Answer: A patient-centered goal
The patient's expressed wish to attend a meaningful event is a patient-centered goal that should guide care planning and discussions about achievability.
Which scale is MOST appropriate for assessing dyspnea intensity in a palliative care patient who can communicate verbally?
Answer: Borg Scale
The Borg Scale is a validated tool for rating perceived breathlessness on a 0–10 scale and is appropriate for communicative patients reporting dyspnea.
A hospice nurse documents that a patient has a Palliative Performance Scale (PPS) score of 40%. What does this indicate?
Answer: Patient is mainly in bed with limited self-care ability
A PPS score of 40% indicates the patient is mainly in bed (>50% of the day), unable to do most activities, with disease evident, and requires assistance with all self-care.
When completing a comprehensive hospice admission assessment, which component specifically evaluates the patient's understanding of their illness trajectory?
Answer: Illness understanding and prognostic awareness
Assessing illness understanding and prognostic awareness determines whether the patient grasps the nature of their terminal diagnosis, which is foundational to informed consent and advance care planning.