All practice questions

Match each patient's demographic and clinical profile with the most appropriate guideline-concordant preventive or screening intervention.

On postoperative day 6 following a coronary artery bypass grafting for severe ischemic heart disease, a 64-year-old man is evaluated for worsening chest pain and progressive shortness of breath over the last 24 hours. The pain is exacerbated by deep inspiration and coughing. His medical history includes type 2 diabetes mellitus, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and obesity. Current medications include aspirin, metoprolol, and a sliding-scale insulin regimen. His temperature is $39.1^{\circ}\text{C}$ ($102.4^{\circ}\text{F}$), blood pressure is 108/64 mmHg, pulse is 114/min, and respirations are 24/min. Pulse oximetry shows 94% on room air. Physical examination reveals an erythematous sternal incision that is exquisitely tender to palpation. Purulent fluid can be expressed from the inferior aspect of the wound. There is palpable movement of the sternal edges relative to each other when the patient takes a deep breath. Lung auscultation reveals decreased breath sounds at the bases bilaterally, without wheezing. Cardiac auscultation reveals regular tachycardia without murmurs, rubs, or gallops. Laboratory testing shows a leukocyte count of $19,500/\text{mm}^3$. Which of the following is the most appropriate next step in the management of this patient?

Surgical consultation is requested for a 62-year-old man due to a change in his clinical status. The patient was admitted three days ago with a mechanical small bowel obstruction attributed to adhesions from a remote appendectomy. Initial computed tomography of the abdomen demonstrated a discrete transition point in the distal ileum with collapsed large bowel, lacking any signs of ischemia. He has been managed nonoperatively with intravenous fluid resuscitation, bowel rest, and nasogastric decompression.

Over the last 12 hours, the patient reports that his abdominal pain has transitioned from intermittent cramping to a severe, continuous ache localized to the periumbilical area. Concurrently, his nasogastric tube output has diminished abruptly from 800 mL to 150 mL daily, and he remains obstipated.

Temperature is 38.2°C (100.8°F), heart rate is 110/min, blood pressure is 135/85 mm Hg, and respiratory rate is 18/min. Abdominal examination reveals significant distension with localized periumbilical tenderness and involuntary guarding. Bowel sounds are absent.

Laboratory evaluation shows:
Leukocyte count: 14,500/mm³
Sodium: 140 mEq/L
Potassium: 4.1 mEq/L
Chloride: 104 mEq/L
Bicarbonate: 18 mEq/L
Blood urea nitrogen: 28 mg/dL
Creatinine: 1.3 mg/dL
Venous lactate: 1.9 mmol/L (Normal: 0.5–2.2 mmol/L)

Which of the following is the most appropriate next step in the management of this patient?

Sports medicine researchers are investigating the long-term risk of developing early-onset osteoarthritis of the knee following anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. They access a national surgical database to identify 5,400 amateur athletes who underwent primary ACL reconstruction between 2005 and 2010. They also identify 10,800 matched amateur athletes who were treated for non-ligamentous knee sprains during the same period. The research team then links these surgical and clinical records to a national outpatient health registry spanning from 2005 through 2026 to ascertain how many individuals in each group were subsequently assigned diagnostic codes for knee osteoarthritis. Which of the following accurately identifies the study design used in this investigation and its primary measure of association?

Cardiologists at a tertiary care center are analyzing final data from a 5-year pharmaceutical trial. The trial compared a next-generation platelet inhibitor to standard aspirin therapy for preventing recurrent ischemic events in adults with a history of acute coronary syndrome. Initial calculations show an overall relative risk (RR) of $0.82$ ($95\% \text{ CI}: 0.75-0.91$) for the new medication group compared to the aspirin group. However, when the patient data is separated according to hepatic cytochrome P450 polymorphism status, distinct patterns emerge. Patients with the wild-type polymorphism have an RR of $0.58$ ($95\% \text{ CI}: 0.49-0.68$), whereas patients with the loss-of-function polymorphism have an RR of $1.04$ ($95\% \text{ CI}: 0.91-1.19$). Based on these statistical results, which of the following is the most accurate interpretation of the polymorphism's role?

A $58$-year-old man is evaluated in the emergency department for a $4$-day history of progressively worsening left lower quadrant abdominal pain, subjective fevers, and chills. His temperature is $38.6^\circ\text{C}$ ($101.5^\circ\text{F}$), pulse is $96/\text{min}$, and blood pressure is $128/80\text{ mm Hg}$. Physical examination reveals marked tenderness in the left lower quadrant with a palpable, tender mass. There is voluntary guarding but no diffuse rigidity or rebound tenderness. Laboratory studies show a leukocyte count of $16,500/\text{mm}^3$. A CT scan of the abdomen and pelvis with intravenous contrast demonstrates severe sigmoid diverticulitis with an adjacent $5.5\text{-cm}$ well-defined, rim-enhancing fluid collection containing gas bubbles.

Arrange the following management steps in the most appropriate chronological sequence for this patient:

Match each clinical research scenario with the most appropriate statistical hypothesis test used to analyze its primary data.

A $24$-year-old man is brought to the emergency department after sustaining a stab wound to the left anterior neck, midway between the cricoid cartilage and the angle of the mandible. He is agitated and has a hoarse voice. His respiratory rate is $28$/min and oxygen saturation is $92\%$ on room air. Blood pressure is $85/50$ mm Hg, and heart rate is $125$/min. Physical examination reveals a large, rapidly expanding hematoma on the left side of the neck with overlying pulsatile bleeding. Arrange the following management steps in the most appropriate chronological sequence for this patient.

Match each clinical safety intervention implemented by a healthcare facility to its corresponding category in the hierarchy of intervention effectiveness.

Match each clinical scenario regarding informed consent and refusal of care to the most appropriate legal or ethical principle that dictates the next step in management.

Paramedics transport a patient to the trauma bay after he experienced a sudden loss of consciousness at his workplace. The patient's coworkers state that he abruptly grabbed the back of his head, complained of severe dizziness and nausea, and then collapsed. Medical records indicate he is 62 years old and has a long-standing history of medication nonadherence for essential hypertension. Currently, his blood pressure is 198/115 mmHg, and his heart rate is 54/min. Neurological assessment shows a profoundly lethargic patient who only localizes to painful stimuli and has irregular respirations. Non-contrast cranial computed tomography (CT) demonstrates a 4.2-cm hyperdense collection in the right cerebellar hemisphere, associated with compression of the fourth ventricle and significant dilation of the lateral ventricles. Which of the following is the most appropriate next step in management?

A 31-year-old male agricultural worker presents to the emergency department with a 3-day history of progressive pain and swelling in his left index finger. He reports sustaining a small puncture wound from a wire fence 5 days prior. His temperature is $38.1^\circ\text{C}$ ($100.6^\circ\text{F}$), blood pressure is $118/76\text{ mmHg}$, and pulse is $98/\text{min}$. Physical examination reveals a diffusely swollen, erythematous left index finger that the patient holds in a partially flexed posture. There is pronounced tenderness extending along the volar aspect of the digit down to the proximal palmar crease. Passive extension of the finger elicits excruciating pain. Sensation and capillary refill are intact in the affected digit. Radiographs of the hand show soft tissue swelling but no foreign body, fracture, or bony destruction. Which of the following is the most appropriate next step in management?

A 78-year-old woman is evaluated in the intensive care unit after being admitted for severe pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome. She is currently intubated, sedated, and lacks decision-making capacity. The patient's medical chart contains a valid, legally binding advance directive completed two years ago. In this document, she explicitly designates her eldest daughter as her healthcare proxy (durable power of attorney for healthcare). The directive also clearly states that she would not want to be maintained on prolonged mechanical ventilation if her prognosis is deemed poor. The patient's husband of 50 years is at the bedside and demands that the medical team continue all life-sustaining measures, stating he is not ready to lose her. Shortly after, the daughter arrives and requests that the team transition to comfort measures only, citing her mother's documented wishes. Which of the following is the most appropriate next step in management?

A 58-year-old man is scheduled for a right-sided thoracentesis for a large pleural effusion. On the day of the procedure, the hospital's electronic scheduling system, which restricts procedure locations to a strict character limit, truncates the description to "thoracentesis" without specifying the laterality. The interventional physician is delayed by a concurrent emergency case and arrives feeling rushed. Meanwhile, the preoperative nurse is managing multiple unstable patients and forgets to complete the standard pre-procedure safety checklist. Upon arrival, the physician performs the procedural time-out independently rather than with the full clinical team, and subsequently inserts the needle into the patient's left hemithorax. A pneumothorax develops on the left side, requiring chest tube placement. A quality improvement committee investigates this adverse event using the Swiss cheese model of medical errors. Which of the following factors in this scenario most accurately represents a latent error?

Match each patient's clinical presentation to the most likely underlying vascular or thoracic pathology.

A public health task force is reviewing the performance characteristics of various screening and diagnostic assays. Different interventions, such as adjusting the positivity threshold for a quantitative biomarker or changing the target population for testing, systematically alter the test's epidemiological metrics. For each proposed testing strategy modification below, select the most accurate description of its predictable impact on sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV).

A 45-year-old man is evaluated in the outpatient clinic for routine follow-up of hypertension. He is awake, alert, and has full decision-making capacity. Later that afternoon, the patient's wife calls the clinic. She states that she manages her husband's health insurance and needs to know the details of his visit today, including any new medications prescribed, to update their family records. The patient has not previously provided authorization to share his medical information with his wife or any other family members. Which of the following is the most appropriate response by the physician?

A regional public health authority is implementing a targeted screening program for a newly identified strain of avian influenza in poultry workers. In this high-risk occupational cohort, the estimated prevalence of the infection is 30%. A rapid point-of-care serological test used in this cohort demonstrates a positive predictive value of 85% and a negative predictive value of 95%. Two months later, to alleviate public anxiety, policymakers mandate expanding the screening program to include all residents of the surrounding county, where the estimated prevalence of the infection is 2%. Assuming the sensitivity and specificity of the serological test are constant across both groups, which of the following is the most likely consequence of expanding this screening program to the general county population?

A 55-year-old man in the intensive care unit is receiving treatment for severe pneumonia. A highly experienced critical care nurse intends to flush the patient's peripheral intravenous line with normal saline. However, the nurse mistakenly administers concentrated intravenous heparin instead of saline, resulting in a significant hemorrhage. An investigation reveals that the hospital recently switched its heparin supplier, and the new concentrated heparin vials are identical in size and cap color to the normal saline flush syringes. Furthermore, it is discovered that the nurse bypassed the mandatory barcode medication administration (BCMA) system. The nurse explains that the BCMA scanner in that specific patient room had been unable to connect to the hospital Wi-Fi for three weeks. Despite multiple information technology work orders filed by the nursing staff, the issue remained unresolved, leading staff to routinely bypass the scanner to administer time-sensitive medications. According to the "Just Culture" framework for evaluating medical errors, which of the following best categorizes the nurse's action of bypassing the scanner and describes the most appropriate administrative response?

An occupational medicine research team is investigating a potential link between an aerosolized industrial solvent and the development of interstitial lung disease (ILD). The solvent is unique to a single manufacturing plant. To conduct the study, the researchers use the plant's employment database from 2000 to 2025 to identify 150 workers who handled the solvent and 2,000 workers in the same plant who performed administrative tasks without solvent exposure. They then review the historical medical records of these employees to determine how many individuals in each group developed ILD during the 25-year period. Which of the following statements regarding this study's design and methodology are correct? (Select all that apply)