OET Reading: Workplace Text Comprehension 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A staff memo states: 'All wound dressings must be changed every 48 hours unless clinical signs indicate otherwise.' A patient's dressing was changed 50 hours ago with no abnormal signs. What action is required?
- Change the dressing as it is overdue (Correct answer)
- Leave it for another 48 hours
- Remove the dressing permanently
- Wait for the patient to complain
Correct answer: Change the dressing as it is overdue
The dressing exceeds the 48-hour limit and no clinical signs justify an exception, so it must be changed.
Question 2: A policy reads: 'Visitors are permitted between 14:00 and 16:00 daily, except in the Intensive Care Unit.' Where do these visiting hours NOT apply?
- The Intensive Care Unit (Correct answer)
- The general wards
- The outpatient clinic
- The maternity ward
Correct answer: The Intensive Care Unit
The word 'except' identifies the ICU as the area excluded from the stated visiting hours.
Question 3: A guideline notes: 'Hand hygiene must be performed before and after every patient contact.' How many times should hands be cleaned for a single patient interaction?
- Twice (Correct answer)
- Once
- Three times
- Only if gloves are not worn
Correct answer: Twice
Cleaning before and after contact means two separate hand-hygiene actions.
Question 4: An equipment notice states: 'Defective items should be tagged and reported to the duty manager immediately.' What is the FIRST step on finding a faulty item?
- Tag it (Correct answer)
- Discard it
- Repair it yourself
- Continue using it carefully
Correct answer: Tag it
The instruction lists tagging before reporting, making it the first action.
Question 5: A roster note reads: 'Shift swaps require approval from the unit coordinator at least 24 hours in advance.' A nurse requests a swap 12 hours before the shift. What is the outcome?
- The swap does not meet the notice requirement (Correct answer)
- The swap is automatically approved
- The coordinator must approve it regardless
- No approval is ever needed
Correct answer: The swap does not meet the notice requirement
Twelve hours is less than the required 24-hour minimum notice, so the request fails the rule.
Question 6: A protocol states: 'Record vital signs hourly for the first six hours post-operation.' How many recordings are expected in that period?
- Six (Correct answer)
- One
- Twelve
- Three
Correct answer: Six
Recording hourly across six hours produces six readings.
Question 7: A circular advises: 'Medication errors, however minor, must be documented on the incident form.' Which errors require documentation?
- All errors, including minor ones (Correct answer)
- Only serious errors
- Only errors causing harm
- Only repeated errors
Correct answer: All errors, including minor ones
The phrase 'however minor' confirms that every error, regardless of severity, must be recorded.
OET Reading: Workplace Text Comprehension 2
A staff memo states: 'All wound dressings must be changed every 48 hours unless clinical signs indicate otherwise.' A patient's dressing was changed 50 hours ago with no abnormal signs.
What action is required?