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The nurse is reviewing the results of a hemoccult test with the client. Which question asked by the nurse is important in screening for the potential of a false-positive result. Select all that apply.

"Are you prescribed regular strength aspirin daily?" "Can you tell me the amount of alcohol that you drink on an average week?" "When was the last time that you included red meat in your diet?"

A home care nurse is caring for a client with complaints of epigastric discomfort who is scheduled for a barium swallow. Which statement by the client indicates an understanding of the test?

"I'll avoid eating or drinking anything 6 to 8 hours before the test."

The nurse is instructing a client prior to a colonoscopy. The client states, "Why do I have to drink this disgusting liquid?" The nurse is most correct to verbalize the goal of the oral preparation as which of the following?

"To cleanse the bowel to promote clear visualization of structures"

Which of the following should the nurse complete prior to assessing the abdomen of a 35-year-old man?

Ask the client to empty his bladder.

When assisting with preparing a client scheduled for a barium swallow, which of the following would be appropriate to include?

Avoid smoking for at least 12 to 24 hours before the procedure.

A client comes into the emergency department with complaints of abdominal pain. Which of the following should the nurse ask first?

Characteristics and duration of pain

The nurse auscultates the abdomen to assess bowel sounds. She documents five to six sounds heard in less than 30 seconds. How does the nurse document the bowel sounds?

Hyperactive

The nurse is working on a general medical unit. A client is scheduled for an upper gastrointestinal series. Upon return to the nursing unit, what does the nurse identify as the client goal?

Increase the amount of fluids

The nurse conducts education related to test preparation for a client scheduled to undergo an abdominal ultrasonography. The nurse should give the client which instruction?

Restrict eating of solid food for 8 to 12 hours before the test.

The nurse is instructing the client who was newly diagnosed with peptic ulcers. Which of the following diagnostic studies would the nurse anticipate reviewing with the client?

Serum antibodies for H. pylori

On examination of a patient's stool, the nurse suspected the presence of an upper GI bleed when she observed a stool that was:

Tarry and black.

Specific disease processes and ingestion of certain foods and medications may change the appearance of the stool. If blood is shed in sufficient quantities into the upper gastrointestinal (GI) tract, it produces which change in the stool appearance?

Tarry-black

A client is to have an upper GI procedure with barium ingestion and abdominal ultrasonography. While scheduling these diagnostic tests, the nurse must consider which factor?

The ultrasonography should be scheduled before the GI procedure.

The nurse is assisting the physician with a colonoscopy for a patient with rectal bleeding. The physician requests the nurse to administer glucagon during the procedure. Why is the nurse administering this medication during the procedure?

To relax colonic musculature and reduce spasm.

A client is scheduled to have an endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography. Which structures are visualized during this procedure?

common bile duct, pancreatic duct, and biliary tree

When gastric analysis testing reveals excess secretion of gastric acid, the nurse recognizes which medical diagnoses is supported?

duodenal ulcer

Which response is a parasympathetic response in the GI tract?

increased peristalsis

The nurse prepares to administer the lavage solution to a client having a colostomy completed. The nurse stops and notifies the physician when noting that the client has which condition?

inflammatory bowel disease

The nurse performs an abdominal assessment. The nurse should peform the assessment in which order?

inspection, auscultation, percussion, palpation

A nurse is teaching a client with malabsorption syndrome about the disorder and its treatment. The client asks which part of the GI tract absorbs food. The nurse tells the client that products of digestion are absorbed mainly in the:

small intestine.

Which enzyme aids in the digestion of protein?

trypsin

The nurse is caring for a geriatric client experiencing diarrhea. When teaching about the site in the body where water and electrolytes are absorbed, the nurse is most correct to instruct on which location?

The small bowel

A client, age 82, is admitted to an acute care facility for treatment of an acute flare-up of a chronic GI condition. In addition to assessing the client for complications of the current illness, the nurse monitors for age-related changes in the GI tract. Which age-related change increases the risk of anemia?

Atrophy of the gastric mucosa

The nurse is caring for a man who has experienced a spinal cord injury. Throughout his recovery, the client expects to gain control of his bowels. The nurse's best response to this client would be which of the following?

"Having a bowel movement is a spinal reflex requiring intact nerve fibers. Yours are not intact."

A client presented with gastrointestinal bleeding 2 days ago and continues to have problems. The physician has ordered a visualization of the small intestine via a capsule endoscopy. Which of the following will the nurse include in the client education about this procedure?

"You will need to swallow a capsule."

The nurse is providing community education at the mall. The nurse is instructing on the muscular tube that connects the mouth to the stomach. The nurse outlines this structure on a drawing and labels it with which of the following?

Esophagus

The nurse is working in a diagnostic testing unit focusing on gastrointestinal studies. For which testing procedure is the nurse correct to assess the gag reflex before offering fluids?

Esophagogastroduodenoscopy

When examining the skin of a client who is dehydrated due to fluid losses from the gastrointestinal tract, which of the following would be most important?

Checking if the mucous membranes are dry

When completing a nutritional assessment of a patient who is admitted for a GI disorder, the nurse notes a recent history of dietary intake. This is based on the knowledge that a portion of digested waste products can remain in the rectum for how many days after a meal is digested?

3 days

A nurse is assessing a client who complains of abdominal pain, nausea, and diarrhea. When examining the client's abdomen, which sequence should the nurse use?

Inspection, auscultation, percussion, and palpation

A client is diagnosed with megaloblastic anemia caused by vitamin B12 deficiency. The physician begins the client on cyanocobalamin (Betalin-12), 100 mcg I.M. daily. Which substance influences vitamin B12 absorption?

Intrinsic factor

During a nursing assessment, the nurse knows that the most common symptom in patients with GI dysfunction is which of the following?

Dyspepsia

The nurse is assessing the abdomen of the client with an undiagnosed disorder. In which sequence would the nurse conduct the abdominal assessment? Use all options.

Inspection Auscultation Percussion Palpation

A client with a recent history of rectal bleeding is being prepared for a colonoscopy. Initially, how should the nurse position the client for this test?

Lying on the left side with knees bent

Swallowing is regulated by which area of the central nervous system (CNS)?

Medulla oblongata

The nurse is assisting the physician with a gastric acid stimulation test for a patient. What medication should the nurse prepare to administer subcutaneously to stimulate gastric secretions?

Pentagastrin

A client undergoing a diagnostic examination for gastrointestinal disorder was given polyethylene glycol/electrolyte solution as a part of the test preparation. Which of the following measures should the nurse take once the solution is administered?

Permit the client to drink only clear liquids.

Which diagnostic produces images of the body by detecting the radiation emitted from radioactive substances?

Positron emission tomography (PET)

When evaluating the function of the GI tract, the nurse needs to understand the role of hormones. Secretin, stimulated by the pH of chyme in the duodenum, is a major GI hormone that does which of the following?

Stimulates the production of bicarbonate in pancreatic juice

The nurse is providing instructions to a patient scheduled for a gastroscopy. What should the nurse be sure to include in the instructions? (Select all that apply.)

The patient must fast for 8 hours before the examination. The throat will be sprayed with a local anesthetic. After gastroscopy, the patient cannot eat or drink until the gag reflex returns (1 to 2 hours). Explanation:

An enzyme that begins the digestion of starches is

ptyalin.

Which procedure is performed to examine and visualize the lumen of the small bowel?

small bowel enteroscopy

The nurse recognizes which change of the gastrointestinal system is an age-related change?

weakened gag reflex