All practice questions

An 80-year-old woman is admitted to the progressive care unit for management of acute decompensated heart failure. She is clinically stable and scheduled for a transthoracic echocardiogram. During morning rounds, the patient is fully alert and oriented to person, place, and time. She clearly demonstrates an understanding of her clinical situation and the rationale for the planned investigations. She states, 'I do not want my son to know anything about my hospitalization or my heart condition. He has severe anxiety, and hearing about this will only make him worse.'

Later that afternoon, the patient's son arrives at the nursing station. He presents a legally authenticated document establishing him as his mother's durable power of attorney for healthcare. He is visibly distressed and states, 'I am her legal representative. I need to know exactly what her cardiac ejection fraction is and what the treatment plan entails so I can prepare for her discharge.'

Which of the following is the most appropriate response by the physician?

Match each clinical safety incident described below to the correct patient safety error classification.

A 45-year-old man is hospitalized following a severe ischemic stroke and is currently unable to communicate or make medical decisions. The clinical team needs consent for an urgent procedure. A review of his medical records reveals no prior written advance directive or designated healthcare proxy. Multiple family members are present in the waiting room. Arrange the following family members according to the standard legal hierarchy for default surrogate decision-makers, from highest priority (first) to lowest priority (last).

A clinical epidemiology task force is evaluating the statistical performance of various diagnostic and screening tests across different patient populations and under modified operational protocols. Match each operational change or epidemiological shift (left) with its expected direct effect on the statistical performance characteristics of the test (right).

Match each clinical scenario or hospital practice to the most appropriate patient safety error classification.

A 72-year-old male with a history of poorly controlled type 2 diabetes mellitus and tobacco use disorder is evaluated in the outpatient vascular surgery clinic for worsening right foot pain. Over the past month, he has experienced a continuous, burning ache in his right toes that frequently awakens him from sleep. He notes that the pain is somewhat alleviated by sitting up and dangling his foot over the edge of the bed. Physical examination of the right lower extremity demonstrates cool, shiny, and hairless skin. There is a 1.5-cm, well-demarcated, dry ulcer with a pale base located on the tip of the great toe. Palpation of the right femoral pulse is normal, but the popliteal, dorsalis pedis, and posterior tibial pulses are absent. Capillary refill time in the toes is 5 seconds. The ankle-brachial index is 0.35 on the right. Which of the following is the most appropriate next step in the management of this patient?

For each proposed research investigation below, identify the corresponding epidemiologic study design being utilized.

Match each clinical presentation or anatomical description of a specific abdominal or pelvic hernia with its correct diagnostic eponym.

A 72-year-old man is admitted to the medical ward for an acute exacerbation of heart failure. On examination, he is alert, fully oriented to person, place, time, and situation. He clearly articulates an understanding of his medical condition and his poor long-term prognosis. During morning rounds, the patient explicitly requests to sign a Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) and Do Not Intubate (DNI) order. Shortly after, his adult daughter arrives at the hospital and presents a legally valid advance directive document naming her as the patient's healthcare proxy. The daughter is visibly upset, insists that her father is giving up too easily, and strictly forbids the medical team from implementing the DNR/DNI order. Which of the following is the most appropriate action by the physician?

An occupational medicine physician is evaluating a masonry and sandblasting worker who reports progressive exertional breathlessness and profound lethargy worsening over the past eight months. The patient, whose career spans three decades in abrasive blasting without consistent respiratory protection, recently noticed his work boots becoming excessively tight and reports needing three pillows to sleep comfortably.

On physical examination, vital signs are within normal limits except for an oxygen saturation of $92\%$ on ambient air. The patient has prominent jugular venous distention when seated at a 45-degree angle. Auscultation reveals a prominent parasternal impulse and scattered fine crackles in both lower lung fields; no expiratory wheezing is present. Examination of the lower extremities demonstrates bilateral $2+$ pitting edema extending to the mid-calves.

A high-resolution chest radiograph displays diffuse, small, rounded opacities predominantly located in the upper lung zones, alongside enlarged hilar lymph nodes exhibiting a peripheral rim of calcification.

Recent laboratory analysis reveals the following:
Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH): $2.5 \text{ \mu U/mL}$ (Normal: $0.4\text{--}4.0 \text{ \mu U/mL}$)
Total Thyroxine (T4): $3.8 \text{ \mu g/dL}$ (Normal: $4.5\text{--}12.0 \text{ \mu g/dL}$)

Which of the following are appropriate next steps in the management of this patient? (Select 2)

An $82$-year-old woman is brought to the emergency department after a mechanical fall at home. She tripped over a rug and landed directly on her right side. She complains of severe right groin pain and is completely unable to bear weight. Her past medical history is significant for osteoporosis, hypertension, and mild chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Her current medications include amlodipine, alendronate, and an albuterol inhaler.

Vital signs are temperature $37.1^\circ\text{C}$ ($98.8^\circ\text{F}$), blood pressure $138/82\text{ mm Hg}$, pulse $88/\text{min}$, and respiratory rate $16/\text{min}$. On physical examination, her right lower extremity is visibly shortened and externally rotated. Palpation over the greater trochanter elicits significant tenderness. Distal pulses are intact, and there are no sensory deficits.

Anteroposterior radiographs of the right hip reveal a completely displaced fracture line extending transversely across the anatomical neck of the right femur, entirely proximal to the intertrochanteric line. There is no evidence of underlying osteolytic lesions.

Which of the following is the most appropriate definitive management for this patient's injury?

A team of gastroenterology researchers is investigating potential pharmacological risk factors for microscopic colitis. The investigators review pathology records at a large tertiary care center to identify 150 patients who were diagnosed with microscopic colitis via colonoscopy between 2020 and 2025. As a comparison group, they select 300 patients who underwent colonoscopy for chronic diarrhea during the same timeframe but were found to have normal colonic mucosa. The researchers then review the electronic health records of all participants to determine the frequency and duration of proton pump inhibitor (PPI) use in the 12 months preceding their colonoscopies. Which of the following best describes the study design utilized in this investigation?

A 17-year-old high school student is evaluated at an outpatient clinic for a preparticipation physical examination required for his school's wrestling team. He is accompanied by his mother, who steps out of the examination room to take a phone call. During the confidential portion of the interview, the patient discloses that he has been injecting heroin daily for the past four months. He states that he is terrified of dying from a fentanyl overdose after a close friend recently passed away, and he urgently requests a referral for outpatient addiction treatment. However, he becomes visibly anxious and pleads, 'You cannot tell my mother about the drugs. My parents have a zero-tolerance policy, and they will immediately kick me out of the house. I will be completely homeless.'

The patient is alert, cooperative, and fully oriented, with no signs of acute intoxication or withdrawal. He explicitly denies any current suicidal or homicidal thoughts. Physical examination is notable for resolving needle track marks in the left antecubital fossa.

The mother returns to the examination room and asks, 'Is he healthy enough to wrestle this season? Did you find anything I should be worried about?'

Which of the following is the most appropriate response or action by the physician?

A 32-year-old primigravid woman at 38 weeks gestation is admitted to the labor and delivery unit. The covering physician inadvertently orders a medication intended for another patient on the ward with a similar last name. The unit pharmacist identifies the discrepancy before the medication is prepared, and the patient is unharmed. Following the incident, the hospital's quality improvement committee reviews the event. Which of the following is the most appropriate initial action to prevent similar incidents in the future?

Match each clinical scenario involving a potential conflict with patient privacy to the most appropriate ethical and legal course of action.

A young adult is transported to the trauma center via helicopter after a high-speed motorcycle crash. Following completion of the primary trauma survey and hemodynamic stabilization, evaluation reveals an isolated, severe left lower extremity injury. Examination shows a highly comminuted, open mid-shaft tibia fracture with a 12-cm soft tissue defect, extensive contamination, and exposed bone. The ipsilateral foot is pale and cold. Doppler ultrasonography demonstrates absent signals over the dorsalis pedis and posterior tibial arteries. Immediate operative intervention is planned. Arrange the following surgical management steps in the most appropriate chronological order for this patient.

Below are five complex clinical scenarios involving informed consent, capacity, and refusal of medical care. Match each clinical scenario to the most appropriate ethical action and its underlying legal principle.

A team of orthopedic surgical researchers is designing a series of clinical studies to evaluate perioperative outcomes. Match each specific research objective to the most appropriate statistical test required to analyze the resulting data.

A 65-year-old man is hospitalized in the intensive care unit following a severe traumatic brain injury sustained in a motor vehicle collision. After three weeks of intensive management, serial neurologic examinations and advanced imaging confirm he is in a persistent vegetative state with a negligible chance of meaningful cognitive recovery. The patient lacks a formal written advance directive or a designated healthcare proxy. His wife of 40 years is recognized as his legal surrogate decision-maker. A review of the patient's outpatient medical records reveals well-documented discussions with his primary care physician in which he explicitly stated he would never want life-sustaining treatments if he were in a permanent coma or vegetative state.

When the critical care physician approaches the wife to discuss transitioning to comfort-focused care, she replies, 'I remember those conversations clearly, and I know he would hate being kept alive like this. However, my personal religious beliefs strictly forbid the withdrawal of life support. Therefore, as his wife, I want you to continue the ventilator and all current treatments.'

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

Match each clinical presentation of a urologic condition with its most appropriate definitive surgical or procedural management.