Trivium Patient Care and Safety 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A patient is found unresponsive in bed. After calling for help, what is the next step per basic life support guidelines?
- Begin chest compressions immediately
- Check for a pulse and assess breathing (Correct answer)
- Retrieve the AED before doing anything else
- Administer oxygen via mask
Correct answer: Check for a pulse and assess breathing
After activating the emergency response, the rescuer should check for a pulse and assess breathing before initiating CPR.
Question 2: Which restraint alternative should be tried FIRST before applying a physical restraint?
- Soft wrist restraints
- Vest restraint
- Reorientation and distraction techniques (Correct answer)
- Chemical sedation
Correct answer: Reorientation and distraction techniques
Least-restrictive measures such as reorientation and distraction must be attempted before any physical restraint is applied.
Question 3: When transferring a patient from bed to wheelchair, the wheelchair should be positioned at what angle to the bed?
- 90 degrees
- 45 degrees (Correct answer)
- 180 degrees
- Parallel alongside the bed
Correct answer: 45 degrees
Positioning the wheelchair at a 45-degree angle to the bed allows for the shortest pivot distance and reduces fall risk.
Question 4: A patient with dysphagia is at greatest risk for which complication during meals?
- Hypoglycemia
- Aspiration pneumonia (Correct answer)
- Dehydration from IV removal
- Pressure ulcer development
Correct answer: Aspiration pneumonia
Dysphagia impairs safe swallowing and can cause food or liquid to enter the airway, leading to aspiration pneumonia.
Question 5: Which action best prevents catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs)?
- Irrigating the catheter daily with saline
- Keeping the drainage bag at bladder level
- Removing the urinary catheter as soon as clinically appropriate (Correct answer)
- Changing the catheter every 48 hours
Correct answer: Removing the urinary catheter as soon as clinically appropriate
The most effective CAUTI prevention strategy is prompt removal of the catheter when it is no longer medically necessary.
Question 6: A nurse finds a patient on the floor. What should be documented FIRST in the incident report?
- The nurse's opinion on why the fall occurred
- Objective facts: time, location, patient condition found (Correct answer)
- A list of staff who were on duty at the time
- The patient's fall history from previous admissions
Correct answer: Objective facts: time, location, patient condition found
Incident reports must contain objective, factual information including the time, location, and patient's condition as found.
Question 7: Which position is safest for a patient who is vomiting to prevent aspiration?
- Supine with head of bed flat
- Trendelenburg (head lower than feet)
- Left lateral (recovery) position (Correct answer)
- High Fowler's (90 degrees upright)
Correct answer: Left lateral (recovery) position
The left lateral (recovery) position allows vomit to drain from the mouth and prevents it from entering the airway.
Trivium Patient Care and Safety 2
A patient is found unresponsive in bed.
After calling for help, what is the next step per basic life support guidelines?