Wound care and healing: RCSI aptitude test practice questions

Sample questions from this topic

1. Question 1

   How does the HSE ask clinicians to record the tissue types seen in a wound bed?

   1. AAs the single dominant tissue type seen at that dressing change
   2. BBy a colour code alone: red, yellow or black wound bed
   3. CAs estimated percentages of each tissue type, totalling 100
   4. DBy the weight of dead tissue removed at each dressing
   Show answer

   Answer: C. HSE 2018 rec. 9.1: use an estimated percentage to quantify each tissue type present in the wound (granulation, slough, necrosis, epithelium), the percentages totalling 100, with a photograph or acetate tracing as a visual record where possible. "70% granulation, 30% slough" tells the next nurse far more than "sloughy".

   Source: HSE National Wound Management Guidelines 2018, rec. 9.1

2. Question 2

   Using the greatest length and width method, how is a wound measured?

   1. AThe depth at the deepest point multiplied by the surface diameter
   2. BThe circumference traced with a tape and divided by two
   3. CThe length along the body’s head-to-toe axis and width at the midpoint only
   4. DThe longest length and the widest width across the wound, edge to edge
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   Answer: D. HSE 2018, wound measurement: the greatest length and the greatest width are measured across the diameter of the wound from wound edge to wound edge. The alternative clock method uses 12 o’clock as the head-to-toe reference. Whatever method is chosen, the same one must be used each time or the trend means nothing.

   Source: HSE National Wound Management Guidelines 2018, Wound measurement

3. Question 3

   What is the wound infection continuum described in the HSE guideline?

   1. AMild, moderate, severe, life-threatening and fatal wound infection
   2. BContamination, colonisation, local infection, spreading infection, systemic infection
   3. CAcute, subacute, chronic, non-healing and malignant wound stages
   4. DClean, clean-contaminated, contaminated, dirty or infected surgical wound, graded at closure
   Show answer

   Answer: B. HSE 2018, infection section: the international Delphi consensus continuum runs contamination, colonisation, local infection, spreading infection, systemic infection. Every open wound is contaminated and most are colonised; treatment begins when bacteria start to harm the host. The clean-to-dirty scale is the surgical wound classification used to predict SSI risk.

   Source: HSE National Wound Management Guidelines 2018, Wound infection continuum

The practice above shuffles the options each time and keeps your score. 30 more free questions across the paper, with a PDF.

Documents behind these questions

Every fact was checked against the public document named on the answer. This topic draws on:

• HSE National Wound Management Guidelines 2018, Appendix II: The wound healing process
• Clinical Procedures for Safer Patient Care, 4.2 Wound healing and assessment, Table 4.1