Patient Assessment and Evaluation Flashcards
7 cards from real KAPS 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 Evaluation flashcards as text
A pharmacist identifies that a patient's regimen includes two drugs with a known major interaction: a QT-prolonging antibiotic (azithromycin) and methadone. The FIRST assessment step is:
Answer: Review the patient's ECG and QTc interval before making a recommendation
Assessing the current QTc interval determines the actual clinical severity of the interaction before recommending any change.
When using the CAGE questionnaire during patient assessment, a score of 2 or more is considered clinically significant. What does the 'A' in CAGE stand for?
Answer: Annoyed — has anyone annoyed the patient by criticizing their drinking?
CAGE stands for Cut down, Annoyed, Guilty, and Eye-opener; 'A' specifically asks if others have annoyed the patient by criticizing their drinking.
A patient on heparin infusion has an aPTT of 200 seconds (therapeutic range 60–100 seconds). The MOST appropriate pharmacist assessment action is:
Answer: Recommend holding the heparin infusion and reassessing for signs of bleeding
An aPTT of 200 seconds is supratherapeutic and greatly increases hemorrhagic risk; the infusion should be held and the patient assessed for bleeding.
Which patient presentation is MOST consistent with hypothyroidism that a pharmacist should recognize during medication review?
Answer: Fatigue, weight gain, cold intolerance, bradycardia, and constipation
Hypothyroidism causes a hypometabolic state with fatigue, weight gain, cold intolerance, bradycardia, and constipation.
A pharmacist assesses a patient taking ciprofloxacin who reports tendon pain in the Achilles area. The most appropriate action is:
Answer: Recommend immediate discontinuation and urgent referral to rule out tendon rupture
Fluoroquinolones carry an FDA black box warning for tendinitis and tendon rupture; Achilles tendon pain warrants immediate discontinuation.
When assessing a patient for chronic kidney disease progression, which marker is considered the MOST sensitive early indicator of glomerular damage?
Answer: Microalbuminuria (urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio 30–300 mg/g)
Microalbuminuria is the earliest detectable marker of glomerular injury, appearing before significant changes in serum creatinine or eGFR.
A pharmacist performing a comprehensive medication review for a patient on multiple antihypertensives notices orthostatic hypotension. Which assessment finding BEST confirms this?
Answer: A drop in systolic BP ≥20 mmHg or diastolic BP ≥10 mmHg within 3 minutes of standing
Orthostatic hypotension is defined as a sustained drop in systolic BP ≥20 mmHg or diastolic BP ≥10 mmHg within 3 minutes of standing.