NCLEX Flashcards
7 cards from real IBD practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 NCLEX flashcards as text
A client with ulcerative colitis is admitted with signs of toxic megacolon. Which assessment finding would the nurse most expect?
Answer: Abdominal rigidity with absent bowel sounds
Toxic megacolon presents with colonic dilation, abdominal rigidity, absent bowel sounds, fever, and hemodynamic instability.
A client with Crohn's disease who is receiving total parenteral nutrition (TPN) develops a fever of 38.8°C with no other source of infection. The priority nursing action is to:
Answer: Obtain a blood culture from the TPN line and a peripheral site
A fever in a TPN client may indicate catheter-related bloodstream infection; paired cultures from the central line and peripheral site are required before line removal.
A client with IBD is started on prednisone 60 mg daily. The nurse should monitor for which complication associated with this medication?
Answer: Hyperglycemia
Corticosteroids stimulate gluconeogenesis and reduce insulin sensitivity, causing hyperglycemia, especially in clients with diabetes or prediabetes.
A client with IBD reports joint pain and swelling that worsens with IBD flares. The nurse recognizes this as which extraintestinal manifestation?
Answer: Peripheral arthropathy (Type 1)
Type 1 peripheral arthropathy affects large joints, is pauciarticular, parallels IBD disease activity, and resolves with IBD treatment.
A nurse is preparing to administer an enema to a client with ulcerative colitis. Which type of enema is contraindicated in this population?
Answer: Soap suds enema
Soap suds enemas are irritating to the already-inflamed colonic mucosa and are contraindicated in ulcerative colitis.
A client with IBD on long-term corticosteroid therapy asks why a DEXA scan was ordered. The nurse explains that the scan monitors for:
Answer: Bone density loss from steroid-induced osteoporosis
Long-term corticosteroid use inhibits osteoblast activity and calcium absorption, leading to osteoporosis detectable by DEXA scan.
A client with Crohn's disease has a stricture causing partial bowel obstruction. Which diet modification should the nurse teach?
Answer: Low-residue diet to reduce mechanical obstruction risk
A low-residue (low-fiber) diet reduces the bulk of intestinal contents, decreasing the risk of food getting stuck at the site of a stricture.