Basic Care & Comfort for the NCLEX-RN Exam

Common failure modes

These are the patterns that cause most candidates to lose marks on this topic. Recognising them in advance is half the work.

• !Wrong choice of analgesic ladder progression
• !Missing TPN-related complications (hyperglycemia, refeeding syndrome)
• !Confusing different enteral tube placement verifications
• !Mismatching the bowel-program timing for stroke vs spinal-injury patients

Study tips

• 1Memorize the WHO analgesic ladder: non-opioid → mild opioid → strong opioid + adjuvants.
• 2Drill TPN-related complications and monitoring.
• 3Practice the priority interventions for nausea, constipation, urinary retention.
• 4Know hospice vs palliative-care distinction (hospice = terminal, < 6 months; palliative = any stage).

Sample NCLEX-RN Basic Care & Comfort questions

These sample items mirror the format and difficulty of real NCLEX-RN questions. Practice with thousands more on the free Koydo question bank.

1. 1

   A patient on TPN suddenly develops fever, chills, and shortness of breath. The priority nursing action is:

   • ASlow the infusion and notify the provider
   • BStop the TPN immediately and notify the providerCorrect
   • CContinue the TPN and administer acetaminophen
   • DSend blood cultures from the TPN line
   Why this answer?

   New-onset fever during TPN infusion may indicate catheter-related bloodstream infection or air embolism. Stopping the infusion is the priority. After stopping, the provider can order cultures and further evaluation.