RN Nursing · Renal and Urinary Assessment · Practice question
The nurse is caring for a client who has just returned to the postsurgical unit following renal surgery. When assessing the client's output from surgical drains, the nurse should physically assess what parameter(s)? Select all that do NOT apply.
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✓
Specific gravity of the output
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Color of the output
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✓
Potential hydrogen (pH) of the output
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Visible characteristics of the output
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Quantity of output
Answer & explanation
Correct: Specific gravity of the output · Potential hydrogen (pH) of the output
The question asks for parameters the nurse cannot physically assess from a surgical drain — that is, which assessments require laboratory analysis rather than direct bedside observation. Specific gravity requires a refractometer or laboratory testing and cannot be determined by simply looking at or handling the drain output; it is therefore not a physical assessment parameter. Similarly, pH cannot be determined visually or by touch and requires either pH paper or laboratory measurement, making it another value that is not obtained by physical assessment alone. In contrast, the color of the output can be directly observed visually and is a standard physical assessment finding. Visible characteristics such as turbidity, the presence of clots, or particulate matter are likewise assessed by direct observation. Quantity of output is measured physically by using a graduated container. Students sometimes incorrectly select quantity or visible characteristics as needing laboratory testing, but these are straightforward bedside observations. The correct selections for items that do NOT apply as physical assessment parameters are specific gravity and pH, as both require instrumentation or laboratory analysis beyond bedside visual and tactile evaluation.
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