History and Physical Examination Flashcards
7 cards from real Physician Assistant practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 History and Physical Examination flashcards as text
A 55-year-old man reports chest pain that worsens with inspiration and is relieved by leaning forward. Which component of the history is MOST critical to document next?
Answer: Onset and duration of pain
Pleuritic chest pain relieved by leaning forward suggests pericarditis; documenting onset and duration is essential to characterize the presentation.
During a funduscopic exam, you observe arteriovenous nicking. This finding is most associated with:
Answer: Chronic hypertension
AV nicking, where arterioles compress venules at crossing points, is a classic sign of chronic hypertensive retinopathy.
A patient's trachea is deviated to the left. Which finding on physical exam would suggest tension pneumothorax on the right?
Answer: Hyperresonance and absent breath sounds on the right
Tension pneumothorax causes hyperresonance and absent breath sounds on the affected side with tracheal deviation away from it.
When obtaining a sexual history using the 5 P's framework, which of the following is NOT one of the 5 P's?
Answer: Prior STIs
The 5 P's are Partners, Practices, Protection from STIs, Past history of STIs, and Pregnancy intention — 'Prior STIs' is phrased differently but the framework doesn't use that exact term as a standalone P.
A 70-year-old woman has a positive Romberg sign. This finding indicates dysfunction of which sensory system?
Answer: Proprioception and vestibular input
A positive Romberg sign (increased sway with eyes closed) indicates impaired proprioception or vestibular input, not cerebellar dysfunction.
On auscultation, a mid-systolic click followed by a late systolic murmur is characteristic of:
Answer: Mitral valve prolapse
A mid-systolic click followed by a late systolic murmur is the hallmark auscultatory finding of mitral valve prolapse.
A patient presents with jaundice. Which of the following questions in the history is LEAST relevant to the initial workup?
Answer: Current immunization status
Immunization status is least immediately relevant; alcohol use, travel history, and family history of hemolytic or hepatic conditions directly inform the differential for jaundice.
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