Home › DOH exam › Fundamentals of Nursing & Patient Safety
DOH Fundamentals of Nursing & Patient Safety Practice Questions
Fundamentals questions test the everyday safe practice every registered nurse is expected to get right: accurate assessment, safe moving and handling, preventing falls and pressure injuries, and clear documentation. Below are 5 free sample questions for the DOH Registered Nurse exam, each with the answer and a rationale.
What this topic covers
- Vital signs and normal adult ranges
- Falls, restraints and pressure-injury prevention
- Enteral feeding and NG tube placement checks
- Blood transfusion safety
- Perioperative care and informed consent
- Pain assessment and end-of-life care
The full bank has 151 fundamentals of nursing & patient safety questions, part of 1,500 questions across 16 nursing topics.
Free DOH fundamentals of nursing & patient safety questions
1. Which finding at a peripheral IV cannula site is typical of phlebitis?
- A. Leaking fluid with no skin changes
- B. Redness, warmth and tenderness along the vein
- C. A blood clot blocking the cannula
- D. Cool, pale, swollen skin around the site
Show answer and rationale
Phlebitis is inflammation of the vein, shown by redness, warmth, pain and sometimes a hard, palpable cord along the vein. Cool, pale swelling is typical of infiltration.
Reference: Infusion Nurses Society Standards – phlebitis
2. Before moving a patient up the bed with a colleague, what should the nurse do?
- A. Lower the bed to its lowest position and raise the head of the bed
- B. Raise the head of the bed to 90 degrees and ask the patient to push up
- C. Remove the pillow, leave the wheels unlocked and pull the patient under the arms
- D. Raise the bed to the nurses' waist height, lower the head of the bed and use a slide sheet
Show answer and rationale
A working height near the waist avoids stooping, a flat bed avoids working against gravity, and a slide sheet reduces friction and shear. The bed wheels must be locked.
Reference: Potter & Perry Fundamentals of Nursing – safe patient handling
3. Before giving a drug through a needleless connector on an IV cannula, what should the nurse do?
- A. Blow on the connector to remove any dust
- B. Remove the connector and use the open hub
- C. Scrub the connector with an antiseptic and let it dry
- D. Wipe the connector with a dry gauze swab
Show answer and rationale
Scrubbing the hub with alcohol or chlorhexidine using friction and allowing it to dry reduces the risk of catheter-related bloodstream infection. Removing the connector breaks the closed system.
Reference: CDC Guidelines for the Prevention of Intravascular Catheter-Related Infections
4. Ten minutes into a red blood cell transfusion, a patient develops chills, a temperature rise and low back pain. What is the nurse's first action?
- A. Recheck the observations in 30 minutes
- B. Slow the transfusion rate
- C. Give paracetamol and continue
- D. Stop the transfusion
Show answer and rationale
These signs suggest an acute haemolytic reaction, so the transfusion must be stopped immediately to limit the amount of incompatible blood given. The IV line is kept open with 0.9% sodium chloride through new tubing and the doctor and blood bank are informed.
Reference: Lewis Medical-Surgical Nursing – transfusion reactions
5. A patient receiving a continuous nasogastric feed suddenly starts coughing and becomes short of breath. What should the nurse do first?
- A. Stop the feed
- B. Reduce the feed rate by half
- C. Check the gastric residual volume
- D. Contact the dietitian
Show answer and rationale
Sudden coughing and breathlessness suggest aspiration or a displaced tube, so the feed must be stopped at once to prevent more fluid entering the lungs. The nurse then assesses the patient, positions them upright and escalates.
Reference: Potter & Perry Fundamentals of Nursing – enteral feeding complications
Study tip
Many fundamentals questions ask for the safest first action. When two answers look right, choose the one that protects the patient from immediate harm.
Practise the full DOH bank
Unlock all 1,500 questions, practice by topic, and unlimited timed 150-question mock tests in the DOH format (180 minutes, 65% practice pass mark). One-time $19.
More DOH practice topics
DOH exam guide: format, booking and study plan →