Orthopaedic Nurse Test Technology & Digital Applications 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A nurse receives an alert from a smart IV pump indicating 'dose-limit exceeded.' What does this alert represent in terms of medication safety technology?
- A network connectivity error in the pump
- A drug library hard stop preventing an unsafe infusion rate (Correct answer)
- A low battery warning requiring pump replacement
- An alarm indicating the IV bag is empty
Correct answer: A drug library hard stop preventing an unsafe infusion rate
Smart pumps with drug libraries use hard and soft stops to prevent programming errors that could result in infusion rates outside safe clinical limits.
Question 2: Which feature of an electronic health record (EHR) is specifically designed to alert nurses to potential drug-drug interactions in orthopaedic patients on NSAIDs and anticoagulants?
- Clinical Decision Support (CDS) alerts (Correct answer)
- Nursing shift scheduling module
- Patient demographic entry fields
- Discharge summary template
Correct answer: Clinical Decision Support (CDS) alerts
Clinical Decision Support systems within EHRs analyze medication orders and flag potential interactions, contraindications, or allergy conflicts in real time.
Question 3: A nurse is using a barcode medication administration (BCMA) system. Which step is ESSENTIAL before scanning the medication barcode?
- Verify the patient's room number verbally
- Scan the patient's identification wristband first (Correct answer)
- Enter the medication name manually into the EHR
- Confirm the pharmacist has approved the order verbally
Correct answer: Scan the patient's identification wristband first
Scanning the patient's wristband before the medication barcode ensures positive patient identification and links the medication scan to the correct patient record.
Question 4: In the context of orthopaedic nursing, what does the term 'telehealth follow-up' primarily offer post-total joint replacement patients?
- Replacement for all in-person post-operative visits
- Remote monitoring of wound healing, pain levels, and functional progress (Correct answer)
- Automatic prescription renewal without nurse involvement
- Intravenous antibiotic administration from home
Correct answer: Remote monitoring of wound healing, pain levels, and functional progress
Telehealth follow-up allows orthopaedic nurses and providers to assess patient recovery, wound status, and rehabilitation progress remotely, reducing unnecessary in-person visits.
Question 5: When using a digital goniometer application on a tablet to assess knee range of motion, what is the nurse's PRIMARY responsibility?
- Upload the measurements directly to the hospital billing system
- Ensure accurate device alignment with anatomical landmarks before recording measurements (Correct answer)
- Use the app to replace formal physical therapy assessments entirely
- Verify the tablet's internet connection before every measurement
Correct answer: Ensure accurate device alignment with anatomical landmarks before recording measurements
Accurate goniometric measurement depends on correct placement of the digital tool's axis with anatomical landmarks such as the lateral femoral condyle and fibular head.
Question 6: An orthopaedic unit implements wearable sensor technology for fall prevention. Which data point would MOST directly inform the nurse of an imminent fall risk?
- Patient's oxygen saturation trend over 24 hours
- Abnormal gait pattern or unsteady balance detected by the wearable (Correct answer)
- Patient's dietary intake logged by the nutrition app
- Daily step count compared to pre-admission baseline
Correct answer: Abnormal gait pattern or unsteady balance detected by the wearable
Wearable fall-prevention sensors analyze gait symmetry, balance, and movement patterns to detect instability that may predict an imminent fall event.
Question 7: A nurse is entering post-operative vital signs into the EHR and notices a previously entered value appears significantly abnormal. What is the APPROPRIATE action?
- Delete the entry without documentation
- Compare to the original source (paper flowsheet, monitor strip) and correct with an addendum if needed (Correct answer)
- Leave the entry unchanged to avoid audit trail issues
- Contact the EHR vendor for system support
Correct answer: Compare to the original source (paper flowsheet, monitor strip) and correct with an addendum if needed
Errors in the EHR should be corrected through an addendum or correction note after verifying against the original source, maintaining the integrity of the audit trail.
Orthopaedic Nurse Test Technology & Digital Applications 3
A nurse receives an alert from a smart IV pump indicating 'dose-limit exceeded.' What does this alert represent in terms of medication safety technology?