Voiceover: Welcome to NP Certification Q&A presented by Fitzgerald Health Education Associates. This podcast is for NP students studying to pass their NP certification exam. Getting to the correct test answers means breaking down the exam questions themselves. Leading NP expert Dr. Margaret Fitzgerald shares her knowledge and experience to help you dissect the anatomy of a test question, so you can better understand how to arrive at the correct test answer.
So, if you're ready, let's jump right in.
Margaret Fitzgerald: A 57-year-old man presents for a routine physical exam. During history taking, he reports that he drinks approximately 7 to 8 12-ounce beers nightly and denies other substances, including tobacco. His physical examination is unremarkable except for mild pharyngeal erythema without exudate. In consideration of his health history, which of the following lab results would be anticipated?
A: Elevated platelets.
B: Macrocytosis.
C: Lymphocytosis.
D: Elevated sed rate.
And the correct answer is B: Macrocytosis. Let's address what kind of a question this is. Given we're provided with the health history then asked about possible lab results, this is an assessment question focused on gathering clinical data. First, some background information. We're given relatively little information about this patient with the exception of his alcohol use.
By the way, keep this in mind. There is a specific "serving” or drink of alcohol that has been defined by many sources. And this would be 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounces of 80 proof alcohol, such as whiskey, rum, vodka, or the like. In other words, those are all considered equivalent. In other words, he's taking in 7 to 8 servings, if you will, of alcohol per day.
How would this patient's drinking pattern be classified? And the CDC provides the following guidance. A current infrequent drinker would be a person who has 1 to 11 drinks in the past year. A current light drinker would be a person who has at least 12 drinks in the past year, but three or fewer drinks per week on average in the past year.