PCT Patient Care Fundamentals 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A patient falls while under the PCT's care. After ensuring the patient's safety, what is the NEXT priority action?
- Complete an incident report and notify the nurse (Correct answer)
- Help the patient back to bed immediately without assessment
- Ask the patient not to mention the fall to the physician
- Document the fall only in the nurse's notes
Correct answer: Complete an incident report and notify the nurse
Reporting the fall to the nurse and completing an incident report ensures proper patient assessment and required documentation.
Question 2: Which patient is at HIGHEST risk for developing a pressure injury?
- An ambulatory patient with good nutrition
- A bedridden patient with urinary incontinence (Correct answer)
- A patient who repositions independently every two hours
- A patient with a healthy BMI and good skin turgor
Correct answer: A bedridden patient with urinary incontinence
Immobility combined with moisture from incontinence significantly increases the risk of skin breakdown and pressure injuries.
Question 3: When is it appropriate for a PCT to apply wrist restraints?
- Whenever a patient is confused
- Only with a valid physician's order and after less restrictive measures have been tried (Correct answer)
- Whenever a nurse asks without a written order
- At the PCT's discretion to prevent falls
Correct answer: Only with a valid physician's order and after less restrictive measures have been tried
Restraints are a last resort requiring a physician's order, patient/family consent, and documentation that alternatives were tried first.
Question 4: Which action prevents transmission of infection when a PCT moves from one patient to another?
- Changing gloves only between patients with visible wounds
- Performing hand hygiene before and after each patient contact (Correct answer)
- Wearing the same gown for all patients on the same unit
- Cleaning hands once at the beginning of the shift
Correct answer: Performing hand hygiene before and after each patient contact
Hand hygiene before and after every patient contact is the single most effective measure to prevent healthcare-associated infection transmission.
Question 5: A patient's advance directive states 'Do Not Resuscitate (DNR).' The patient becomes unresponsive. The PCT should:
- Begin CPR immediately
- Call a code blue
- Notify the nurse and do not initiate CPR (Correct answer)
- Check the advance directive again before doing anything
Correct answer: Notify the nurse and do not initiate CPR
A valid DNR order means resuscitation should not be initiated; the PCT must notify the nurse immediately.
Question 6: The term 'afebrile' means the patient has:
- A temperature above normal
- No fever (Correct answer)
- Chills with elevated temperature
- An inability to regulate temperature
Correct answer: No fever
Afebrile means the patient has no fever and the temperature is within the normal range.
Question 7: When documenting patient care, the PCT should:
- Use abbreviations not approved by the facility
- Document care before actually performing it to save time
- Record only abnormal findings to keep notes brief
- Record care promptly after it is performed, using approved terms (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Record care promptly after it is performed, using approved terms
Documentation must be timely, accurate, and use facility-approved terminology to ensure legal and clinical integrity of the medical record.
PCT Patient Care Fundamentals 5
A patient falls while under the PCT's care.
After ensuring the patient's safety, what is the NEXT priority action?