Mixed Deck — All NCWO Topics Flashcards
100 cards from real NCWO practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 20 Mixed Deck — All NCWO Topics flashcards as text
A wound care nurse notes that a patient's pressure injury has increased pain, warmth, and new purulent exudate. The FIRST priority intervention is to:
Answer: Notify the provider and obtain a wound culture
Clinical signs of infection require prompt notification of the provider and appropriate wound culture collection before any antibiotic or advanced treatment is initiated.
When applying a silver-containing dressing to a wound, the nurse should be aware that:
Answer: Silver should be discontinued once signs of infection resolve to prevent resistance or toxicity
Silver dressings should be used for a defined treatment course (typically 2–4 weeks) and discontinued when infection signs resolve to avoid silver toxicity and unnecessary cost.
Nocturia (two or more nighttime voids) in older adults is most commonly caused by:
Answer: Nocturnal polyuria (overproduction of urine at night) due to fluid redistribution and reduced ADH
Nocturnal polyuria—disproportionate urine production at night from fluid redistribution and age-related decline in ADH secretion—is the most prevalent cause of nocturia in older adults.
Periwound maceration is caused by:
Answer: Prolonged exposure of surrounding skin to wound moisture
Maceration occurs when the periwound skin is overhydrated from excessive wound exudate or moisture trapped under a dressing.
Maggot debridement therapy (MDT) is most beneficial for wounds containing:
Answer: Soft, moist, necrotic slough with suspected biofilm
Medical-grade maggots debride soft necrotic tissue and slough while secreting antimicrobial compounds that disrupt bacterial biofilm.
When educating a patient about wound care at home, the WOC nurse should use the 'teach-back' method to:
Answer: Confirm patient understanding by asking them to demonstrate or explain the information in their own words
Teach-back confirms comprehension by having the patient explain or demonstrate the information, revealing misunderstandings that the nurse can immediately correct.
Moisture-associated skin damage (MASD) can be caused by all of the following EXCEPT:
Answer: Mechanical friction from turning
MASD is caused by prolonged skin exposure to moisture sources such as urine, feces, wound exudate, or perspiration; friction causes mechanical skin injury, not MASD.
A wound exhibiting the NERDS acronym criteria is best described as having:
Answer: Superficial critical colonization that may respond to topical antimicrobials
NERDS (Non-healing, Exudate increase, Red/bleeding, Debris, Smell) identifies superficial critical colonization; this level of wound burden typically responds to topical antimicrobial dressings.
Motivational interviewing (MI) in the context of wound care patient education is used to:
Answer: Explore and resolve ambivalence to support patient-driven behavior change
MI is a collaborative, patient-centered communication style that explores and resolves ambivalence, evoking the patient's own motivation for behavior change rather than directing or confronting.
Which domain of learning should the WOC nurse prioritize when teaching an elderly patient with low health literacy about ostomy care?
Answer: Psychomotor domain: hands-on demonstration and return demonstration
For patients with low health literacy, hands-on skills training (psychomotor domain) with return demonstration is the most effective strategy for learning practical ostomy care tasks.
The anal plug device is used in fecal incontinence management to:
Answer: Occlude the anal canal to prevent unintended stool passage
An anal plug is a disposable device inserted into the anal canal to physically block passage of stool, providing a continence barrier for patients with FI.
Which debridement method is considered the fastest and most selective for removing large amounts of necrotic tissue?
Answer: Sharp/surgical
Sharp or surgical debridement is the most rapid and selective method, allowing precise removal of necrotic tissue while sparing viable tissue.
When measuring wound depth, the WOC nurse should use a:
Answer: Sterile cotton-tipped applicator inserted perpendicular to the wound bed
A sterile cotton-tipped applicator inserted perpendicular to the wound bed and measured against a ruler is the standard bedside technique for wound depth measurement.
A colostomy located in the sigmoid colon produces output that is most likely:
Answer: Formed or semi-formed stool, often once or twice daily
A sigmoid colostomy is located at the end of the large intestine, so stool is typically well-formed and output pattern is often predictable.
Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) is caused by:
Answer: Inadequate urethral sphincter resistance during increased intra-abdominal pressure
SUI results from weakened urethral sphincter or pelvic floor muscles that cannot maintain continence when intra-abdominal pressure suddenly rises with coughing, sneezing, or exercise.
Wound edge epibole (rolled or thickened edges) indicates:
Answer: Inward rolling of the epidermis impeding wound closure
Epibole occurs when the epidermis rolls inward and downward at the wound edge, preventing epithelial cells from migrating across the wound bed.
Fecal incontinence (FI) associated with loose or liquid stool is most commonly managed initially with:
Answer: Dietary fiber supplementation to add bulk and slow transit
Dietary fiber bulks the stool and slows intestinal transit, making fecal incontinence associated with loose stools easier to control before escalating to procedural interventions.
In managing biofilm in a chronic wound, which combination approach is considered MOST effective?
Answer: Regular debridement combined with topical antimicrobials
Biofilm cannot be eradicated by antibiotics alone; regular debridement to disrupt the matrix combined with topical antimicrobials is the evidence-based standard for biofilm management.
Biofilm in a chronic wound is best described as:
Answer: A structured community of microorganisms encased in a self-produced extracellular matrix
Biofilm is a structured polymicrobial community encased in an extracellular polysaccharide matrix that provides significant resistance to antibiotics and host immune defenses.
Which factor in a patient's history MOST significantly increases the risk of wound infection?
Answer: Poorly controlled diabetes mellitus (HbA1c > 9%)
Poorly controlled diabetes impairs neutrophil function, reduces tissue oxygenation, and promotes bacterial growth, making it one of the strongest risk factors for wound infection.