Page 55 - ractice Exam Questions and rationales

"It’s best to use the outer edge of the middle or ring finger on your left hand when doing your
finger stick."
Rationale: Regular blood sugar testing is an important tool for managing diabetes, and newly
diagnosed diabetics need guidance on how best to obtain accurate blood sugar readings on their
glucose meter. Capillary blood from the fingertips is one of the best sources from which to
obtain results that are a true reflection of the blood sugar status. Alternative site testing (forearm,
palm, stomach, and thigh) can also be utilized, however the glucose readings may not be a true
reflection of current sugar levels. For example, it could take 20 to 30 minutes before the blood
glucose reading from the fingertip reaches the forearm. Patients are generally instructed to
utilize the middle or ring finger of the non-dominant hand. The sides of the finger have better
blood flow and are not as painful as the pad of the finger. Therefore, the medical assistant should
instruct the patient in this instance to use the outer edge of the middle or ring finger on the left
hand.
The medical assistant performs a urine hCG on a patient whose results are inconclusive. Which
of the following actions should the medical assistant take next?

A. Ask the patient to clarify the date of her LMP.

B. Immediately retest the sample.

C. Collect another urine sample.

D. Ensure the daily quality control has been performed.

Your response:
Collect another urine sample.
Correct response:
Ensure the daily quality control has been performed.
Rationale: The first thing a medical assistant should do in this instance is to check to make sure
quality control has been performed. There can be various reasons for an inconclusive result, one
of which is a malfunction of some sort. Quality control should be completed at the appropriate
intervals (as set by the manufacturer or laboratory) to ensure that the assay is performing
appropriately. If there is an issue with the hCG assay, it is likely that the controls could be out of
range. Retesting of the sample would not be advisable if the quality controls have not been run
or if they are not within acceptable parameters (so it is important to check QC first). Drawing a
blood specimen should not be the first approach, since it is an invasive procedure to the patient
and the assay itself could be performing inadequately.
When the patient's chart has been subpoenaed, which of the following types of information
requires additional consent from the patient or a court order?

A. psychiatric treatment

B. blood test results

C. gunshot wounds