FREE Certified Hospice and Palliative Nurse Questions and Answers

Question 1

Which patient is most likely to not receive adequate care for their pain symptoms?

Accepted Answer

86-year old female with COPD, living in an assisted living facility

Answer

51-year old male, recently diagnosed with ALS; a former weight lifter

Answer

42-year old female with early-onset dementia, living with her sister.

Answer

74-year old male with congestive heart failure, living with his wife

Question 2

What other medications must to be taken along with any opioid regimen?

Accepted Answer

Senna

Answer

Pamidronate

Answer

Ondansetron

Answer

Diphenhydramine

Question 3

Draco uses a short-acting prn opioid for breakthrough pain in addition to taking continuous-release morphine every 12 hours for pain management. At 9–10 hours, he is having end-of-dose failure. What would be the best course of action to treat Draco's discomfort?

Accepted Answer

The dosing interval of the continuous-release morphine should be decreased to every 8 hours, at the same dose, with no change in the prn dosing

Answer

An adjuvant therapy such as a corticosteroid should be added.

Answer

Draco should be switched to an equianalgesic alternative opioid

Answer

The dose should be decreased every 12 hours, but the short-acting prn dose should be increased by 25%.

Question 4

Which of the following could point to a bad prognosis for a hospice patient with an end-stage cardiac condition?

Accepted Answer

Unexplained syncope

Answer

Infection

Answer

Edema

Answer

Bleeding

Question 5

Which of the following is a crucial component of supporting the patient's care needs when a hospice patient is dealing with growing weakness, exhaustion, and decreasing mobility?

Accepted Answer

Prioritizing energy use

Answer

Honoring the wishes of family members

Answer

Remaining as mobile as possible

Answer

Seeing as many visitors as possible

Question 6

Jenny's pleural effusion is being intermittently drained using an indwelling pleural catheter. The nurse is on hand to instruct patients on how to use the catheter at home. Which aspect must the nurse emphasize to Jenny in order for her to avoid vasovagal symptoms?

Accepted Answer

No more than 1-1.5 liters of fluid should be removed at any one time.

Answer

The catheter can only be accessed by a nurse.

Answer

The drainage should occur slowly and continuously over an 8-hour period.

Answer

It is important to fully drain the pleural space each time the catheter is accessed.

Question 7

Due to advanced ovarian cancer, Vangie has an incomplete bowel blockage. She is throwing up feces and complaining of severe abdominal pain. Only non-pharmacologic therapies are desired by her and her family. Which intervention is most likely to be successful?

Accepted Answer

Nasogastric tube

Answer

Foley catheter

Answer

Bowel rest

Answer

High fiber diet

Question 8

After receiving a PEG tube, 69-year-old Eric, who has end-stage esophageal cancer, recently left the hospital and went back home. Margaret, his wife, who will be taking care of him, says she trained to give him his tube feedings while he was in the hospital. How should Margaret be evaluated to see how well she can complete this task?

Accepted Answer

Ask her to show you how she performs it.

Answer

Ask her to describe the instructions she was given.

Answer

Ask her husband if she is performing it correctly.

Answer

Ask her to tell you how she performs it.

Question 9

A person suffering from persistent obstructive pulmonary
patient with COPD is given a portable nebulizer. Upon administration of albuterol, the patient reports elevated mental alertness, a fast heartbeat, and the nurse is aware that the drug has caused sleeplessness.
encouraged the:

Accepted Answer

Sympathetic nervous systems

Answer

System nervousAutonomic

Answer

Parasympathetic nervous system

Answer

Central nervous system

Question 10

The most prevalent lung disease at its end stage observed in hospice environments is:

Accepted Answer

Lung cancer

Answer

Cystic fibrosis

Answer

Tuberculosis

Answer

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)