Priorities in Critical Care Nursing 9e Linda Urden, Kathleen Stacy, Mary Lough Test Bank
All Chapters 1 -27
Chapter 01: Caring for the Critically Ill Patient
Urden: Priorities in Critical Care Nursing, 9th Edition
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. The chief nurse executive is organizing a team to address an organizational
increase in catheter-associated urinary tract infections. What type of practitioner
would be appropriate choice to lead this system-wide team?
a. Registered nurse
b. Advanced practice nurse
c. Clinical nurse leader
d. Intensivist
ANS: B
An advanced practice nurse (APN) manages complex clinical and systems issues and would be an
appropriate choice to lead the team. An intensivist is a medical practitioner who manages critical ill patients.
A registered nurse (RN) is generally a direct care provider. A clinical nurse leader (CNL) generally does not
manage system issues. An intensivist may be asked to consult with the team and the RN and CNL may be
asked to join the team but none of them would be the most appropriate to lead the team.
PTS: 1 DIF: Cognitive Level: Applying OBJ: Nursing Process Step: N/A
TOP: Caring for the Critically Ill Patient
MSC: NCLEX: Physiologic Integrity: Reduction of Risk Potential
2. An employee health practitioner is concerned about the increase in work-related injuries and is organizing a
team to address safe patient handling. What type of practitioner would be the most appropriate choice to lead
this team?
a. Clinical nurse specialist
b. Nurse anesthetist
c. Registered nurse
d. Nurse practitioner
ANS: A
A clinical nurse specialist (CNS) would be the most appropriate choice to lead this team. CNSs make good
team leaders as they can use their clinical, teaching, research, consultative and leadership abilities to address
the problem. Nurse anesthetists administer anesthesia and would not be the most appropriate choice to lead
the team. Registered nurses are generally direct care providers and would be appropriate to include on the
team but not the most appropriate choice to lead the team. Nurse practitioners (NPs) manage direct clinical
care of groups of patients and would not be the most appropriate choice to lead the team.
PTS: 1 DIF: Cognitive Level: Evaluating OBJ: Nursing Process Step: N/A
TOP: Caring for the Critically Ill Patient
MSC: NCLEX: Physiologic Integrity: Reduction of Risk Potential
3. A registered nurse working in the intensive care unit has decided to become certified as a critical care nurse.
Which professional organization should the nurse contact for more information about the certification exam?
a. State Board of Registered Nurses
b. National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialist
c. Society of Critical Care Medicine
d. American Association of Critical-Care Nurses Certification Corporation
ANS: D
, Priorities in Critical Care Nursing 9e Linda Urden, Kathleen Stacy, Mary Lough Test Bank
All Chapters 1 -27
The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) Certification Corporation develops and
administers many critical care specialty certification examinations for registered nurses and advanced
practice nurses. The State Board of Registered Nurses (SBON) does not administer certification exams.
National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists (NACNS) does not administer certification exams.
Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM) does not administer certification exams for registered nurses.
PTS: 1 DIF: Cognitive Level: Understanding OBJ: Nursing Process Step: N/A
TOP: Caring for the Critically Ill Patient
MSC: NCLEX: Safe and Effective Care Environment: Management of Care
4. The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) has developed short directives that can be used
as quick references for clinical use. What are these documents called?
a. Critical care protocols
b. Practice policies
c. Evidence-based research directives
d. Practice alerts
ANS: D
The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) has promulgated several evidence-based
practice summaries in the form of “practice alerts.” Critical care protocols and practice policies are
established by individual organizations. Evidence-based research directives are a generic name for several
different types of documents.
PTS: 1 DIF: Cognitive Level: Remembering
OBJ: Nursing Process Step: Planning TOP: Caring for the Critically Ill Patient
MSC: NCLEX: Safe and Effective Care Environment: Management of Care
5. A patient has been diagnosed with cancer and has decided to stop chemotherapy as it is not working. The
patient asks the health care practitioner if there are any other therapies available. The practitioner
recommends the patient seek what type of therapy?
a. Alternative
b. Holistic
c. Complementary
d. Individualized
ANS: A
The term alternative denotes that a specific therapy is an option or alternative to what is considered
conventional treatment of a condition or state. The term complementary was proposed to describe therapies
that can be used to complement or support conventional treatments. Holistic care focuses on human integrity
and stresses that the body, mind, and spirit are interdependent and inseparable. Individualized care
recognizes the uniqueness of each patient’s preferences, condition, and physiologic and psychosocial status.
PTS: 1 DIF: Cognitive Level: Applying
OBJ: Nursing Process Step: Implementation
TOP: Caring for the Critically Ill Patient
MSC: NCLEX: Physiological Integrity: Basic Care and Comfort
6. A patient with cancer receiving chemotherapy has incorporated guided imagery and massage into their
treatment plan. These therapies are examples of what type of treatment?
a. Alternative therapy
b. Holistic care
c. Complementary care
d. Individualized care
ANS: C
, Priorities in Critical Care Nursing 9e Linda Urden, Kathleen Stacy, Mary Lough Test Bank
All Chapters 1 -27
The term complementary was proposed to describe therapies that can be used to complement or support
conventional treatments. Guided imagery, massage, and animal-assisted therapy are all examples of
complementary care. The term alternative denotes that a specific therapy is an option or alternative to what
is considered conventional treatment of a condition or state. Holistic care focuses on human integrity and
stresses that the body, mind, and spirit are interdependent and inseparable. Individualized care recognizes the
uniqueness of each patient’s preferences, condition, and physiologic and psychosocial status.
PTS: 1 DIF: Cognitive Level: Understanding
OBJ: Nursing Process Step: Implementation
TOP: Caring for the Critically Ill Patient
MSC: NCLEX: Physiological Integrity: Basic Care and Comfort
7. A patient was admitted to a rural critical care unit in Montana. Critical care nurses are assisting with
monitoring and care of the patient from the closest major city. What is this type of practice termed?
a. Tele-nursing
b. Tele-ICU
c. Tele-informatics
d. Tele-hospital
ANS: B
Tele-ICU is a form of telemedicine. Telemedicine was initially used in outpatient areas, remote rural
geographic locations, and areas where there was a dearth of medical providers. Currently, there are tele-ICUs
in areas where there are limited resources on-site. However, experts (critical care nurses, intensivists) are
located in a central distant site.
PTS: 1 DIF: Cognitive Level: Understanding OBJ: Nursing Process Step: N/A
TOP: Caring for the Critically Ill Patient
MSC: NCLEX: Physiological Integrity: Reduction of Risk Potential
8. Which core competency for interprofessional practice can be described as working with individuals of other
professions to maintain a climate of mutual respect and shared values?
a. Interprofessional teamwork and team-based care
b. Values and ethics for interprofessional practice
c. Interprofessional communication
d. Roles and responsibilities for collaborative practice
ANS: B
Values and ethics for interprofessional practice mean working with individuals of other professions to
maintain a climate of mutual respect and shared values. Roles and responsibilities for collaborative practice
include using knowledge of one’s own role and the roles of other professions to appropriately assess and
address the health care needs of the patients and populations served. Interprofessional communication
includes communicating with patients, families, communities, and other health professionals in a responsive
and responsible manner that supports a team approach to maintaining health and treatment of disease.
Interprofessional teamwork and team-based care means applying relationship-building values and principles
of team dynamics to perform effectively in different team roles to plan and deliver patient population-
centered care that is safe, timely, efficient, effective, and equitable.
PTS: 1 DIF: Cognitive Level: Remembering OBJ: Nursing Process Step: N/A
TOP: Caring for the Critically Ill Patient
MSC: NCLEX: Safe and Effective Care Environment: Management of Care
9. The leadership team of the intensive care unit is reviewing the quality issues that have occurred over the last
six months. Which situation continues to be one of the most problem-prone for critical care nurses?
a. Inappropriate care
b. Intimidating and disruptive clinician behavior
c. Injury to patients by falls
d. Medication errors
, Priorities in Critical Care Nursing 9e Linda Urden, Kathleen Stacy, Mary Lough Test Bank
All Chapters 1 -27
ANS: D
Medication errors continue to be one of the most problem-prone nursing interventions for critical care
nurses. Intimidating and disruptive clinician behaviors, inappropriate care, and injury to patients by falls are
also problems that can occur however, medication errors continue to be the most prevalent.
PTS: 1 DIF: Cognitive Level: Understanding
OBJ: Nursing Process Step: Implementation
TOP: Caring for the Critically Ill Patient
MSC: NCLEX: Safe and Effective Care Environment: Safety and Infection Control
10. A nurse is performing an assessment on a patient being admitted to the hospital. The nurse asks the patient
about their inner sense of being male, female, or something else. What information is the nurse trying to
elicit from the patient?
a. Sex assigned at birth
b. Gender identity
c. Sexual orientation
d. Sexual preference
ANS: B
Gender identity refers to one’s inner sense of being male, female, or something else. Sexual orientation refers
to one’s physical and emotional attraction to others. Sex assigned at birth refers to one’s external anatomy
(male or female) at birth. The term sexual preference used to refer to sexual orientation however, it is
considered offensive in that it implies that a person can choose who they are sexually or romantically
attracted to.
PTS: 1 DIF: Cognitive Level: Applying
OBJ: Nursing Process Step: Assessment TOP: Caring for the Critically Ill Patient
MSC: NCLEX: Psychosocial Integrity
11. The safe patient handling team has been developing resource tools for the staff. They have created a stepwise
decision-making flowchart for determining what type of lift equipment to employ in different situations.
What is this type of document commonly called?
a. Protocol
b. Practice guideline
c. Algorithm
d. Order set
ANS: C
An algorithm is a stepwise decision-making flowchart for a specific care process or processes. A practice
guideline is usually created by an expert panel and developed by a professional organization. Protocols are
more directive and rigid than guidelines, and providers are not supposed to vary from a protocol. An order
set consists of preprinted provider orders that are used to expedite the order process after a standard has been
validated through analytic review of practice and research.
PTS: 1 DIF: Cognitive Level: Applying
OBJ: Nursing Process Step: Implementation
TOP: Caring for the Critically Ill Patient
MSC: NCLEX: Physiologic Integrity: Reduction of Risk Potential
MULTIPLE RESPONSE
1. A clinical practice team is developing an evidence-based practice procedure for the management of a patient
with a cervical collar. What factors with regards to evidence-based practice does the team need to consider
while creating this document? (Select all that apply.)
a. Clinical expertise of the health care team
