Patient Assessment & Clinical Evaluation Flashcards
7 cards from real SHS practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Patient Assessment & Clinical Evaluation flashcards as text
When performing a musculoskeletal assessment of a worker with a suspected wrist injury, a positive 'Tinel's sign' (tingling with tapping at the wrist) suggests injury to which structure?
Answer: Median nerve (carpal tunnel)
A positive Tinel's sign at the wrist—tingling along the median nerve distribution when tapped—is a classic physical finding in carpal tunnel syndrome.
Under the OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens Standard (29 CFR 1910.1030), a post-exposure medical evaluation must begin within what time frame after a needlestick or sharps injury?
Answer: As soon as feasible
OSHA requires that post-exposure evaluation and follow-up be made available 'immediately' or 'as soon as feasible' after a reportable exposure incident.
During a patient assessment, Beck's Triad (hypotension, muffled heart sounds, and jugular vein distension) is associated with which life-threatening condition?
Answer: Cardiac tamponade
Beck's Triad—hypotension, muffled heart tones, and jugular venous distension—is the classic clinical presentation of cardiac tamponade, where fluid compresses the heart.
In the evaluation of occupational low back pain, which 'red flag' symptom requires urgent neurological evaluation?
Answer: Bilateral leg weakness, saddle anesthesia, and bladder dysfunction
Bilateral leg weakness, saddle anesthesia (perineal numbness), and bladder/bowel dysfunction suggest cauda equina syndrome, a surgical emergency.
When assessing a worker for carbon monoxide poisoning, which symptom is MOST commonly reported as an initial presenting complaint?
Answer: Headache
Headache is the most common initial symptom of carbon monoxide poisoning; cherry-red skin is a late and often postmortem finding.
According to NIOSH criteria, a worker's personal air sampling result should be compared against which exposure limit to determine whether immediate health risk exists?
Answer: NIOSH Immediately Dangerous to Life or Health (IDLH) value
NIOSH's IDLH concentration represents the maximum level from which a worker could escape within 30 minutes without irreversible health effects or escape-impairing symptoms.
During a rapid trauma assessment of a construction worker who fell two stories, you note absent distal pulses in the right leg with deformity at the mid-femur. The MOST immediate clinical concern is:
Answer: Significant hemorrhage with potential for shock
A femur fracture can result in 1–2 liters of blood loss into the thigh, making hemorrhage and hypovolemic shock the most immediate life threat.