Learning Activities

1. An elderly patient is admitted to the medical floor with increased shortness of breath, new productive cough, and low-grade fever. The nurse begins the physical examination of the respiratory system.

What is the best position for the patient to assume for the physical exam?

1. Supine
2. Sitting upright
3. Semi-Fowlers
4. Left-lateral

2. During the course of the preceding patient’s physical exam, auscultation of the lungs reveals rhonchi in the upper airways and coarse crackles in the right lower base. The nurse knows that rhonchi and crackles may indicate _________ or __________ in the airways.

3. A patient has pneumonia, which is currently being treated with antibiotics, and reports feeling better since being hospitalized. The nurse assesses the patients oxygen saturation using a pulse oximeter by placing the probe on the patient’s finger. The reading is 89%.

Which of the following actions should the nurse perform first?

1. Assess the pulse oximeter probe site to ensure an accurate reading.
2. Administer oxygen and monitor the pulse oximetry until it reaches 95 percent.
3. Raise the head of the bed and ask the patient to take several deep breaths.
4. Contact the provider and recommend prescribing a chest X-ray.