Certified Wound Specialist MCQ Flashcards
7 cards from real CWS practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Certified Wound Specialist MCQ flashcards as text
Which criterion from the NERDS acronym specifically indicates superficial critical colonization rather than systemic infection?
Answer: Non-healing despite optimal care
NERDS (Non-healing, Exudate increase, Red friable tissue, Debris, Smell) identifies superficial critical colonization; systemic signs like fever belong to the STONEES tool.
The Braden Scale score that places a patient at HIGH risk for pressure injury development is:
Answer: 12 or below
A Braden Scale score of 12 or below indicates high risk; scores 13–14 are moderate risk, and 15–18 are mild to no risk.
A wound clinician recommends collagen dressings for a stalled chronic wound. The PRIMARY rationale is to:
Answer: Bind matrix metalloproteinases that degrade growth factors
Collagen dressings bind and inactivate excess MMPs in chronic wounds, protecting growth factors and allowing healing to progress.
According to the National Pressure Injury Advisory Panel (NPIAP), a full-thickness wound with exposed bone that is covered with slough but the base cannot be visualized should be staged as:
Answer: Unstageable
When wound depth cannot be determined due to slough or eschar covering the base, the wound is classified as unstageable until the bed is visible.
Which topical agent is MOST appropriate for a wound with suspected Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection indicated by a blue-green exudate?
Answer: Silver-containing antimicrobial dressing
Silver has broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity including against Pseudomonas and is appropriate for critically colonized or locally infected wounds.
The 'probe to bone' test in a diabetic foot wound carries which predictive value for osteomyelitis?
Answer: High positive predictive value in high-prevalence populations
In high-prevalence diabetic foot populations, a positive probe-to-bone test has a positive predictive value of approximately 89%, making it a useful bedside tool.
Lymphedema differs from venous edema in that lymphedema characteristically involves:
Answer: Non-pitting edema in the dorsum of the foot and toes (Stemmer sign)
Lymphedema produces non-pitting edema that extends to the toes (positive Stemmer sign), whereas venous edema typically spares the foot dorsum and toes.