Which of the below items are expected variations in an older adult?

Choice A reason: Assessment in the nursing process involves collecting subjective and objective data via interviews, physical exams, and observations to inform clinical judgments. This foundational step identifies patient needs, guiding subsequent planning. Accurate data collection ensures comprehensive care, preventing oversight of critical health issues and supporting effective diagnosis and intervention in clinical practice.

Choice B reason: Using problem-solving to prioritize outcomes and develop interventions describes the planning step, not assessment. Assessment focuses on data collection, not goal-setting. Assuming this misaligns with the nursing process, risking premature intervention without thorough data, which could lead to ineffective care plans or missed health issues in patient management.

Choice C reason: Assessing goal effectiveness and adjusting interventions pertains to the evaluation step, not assessment. Assessment gathers data to identify needs, not evaluate outcomes. Misidentifying this risks skipping data collection, leading to incomplete assessments and inappropriate interventions, compromising patient safety and care quality in the nursing process.

Choice D reason: Using clinical judgment to formulate problems is part of diagnosis, not assessment. Assessment collects raw data, while diagnosis analyzes it to identify issues. Assuming this conflates steps, risking incomplete data collection, which could result in inaccurate diagnoses and ineffective care plans, undermining the systematic approach of the nursing process.

Choice A reason: Rebound tenderness in the right lower quadrant, often at McBurney’s point, is a hallmark of appendicitis, indicating peritoneal irritation from an inflamed appendix. This sign, elicited by releasing pressure during palpation, suggests localized inflammation, requiring urgent surgical evaluation to prevent rupture and peritonitis.

Choice B reason: Pancreatitis typically presents with epigastric or left upper quadrant pain, radiating to the back, not right lower quadrant rebound tenderness. It involves pancreatic inflammation, often due to gallstones or alcohol, and is assessed via serum amylase and lipase, not RLQ findings, making this incorrect.

Choice C reason: Cholecystitis causes right upper quadrant pain and tenderness, often with Murphy’s sign, due to gallbladder inflammation. Rebound tenderness in the right lower quadrant is not characteristic, as cholecystitis affects the upper abdomen, making this choice misaligned with the clinical finding.

Choice D reason: Diverticulitis typically causes left lower quadrant pain, as diverticula are common in the sigmoid colon. Right lower quadrant rebound tenderness is not a typical finding, as it suggests appendicitis instead, making this choice incorrect for the described gastrointestinal assessment finding.