P ERSONALIZED T EACHING P LAN
T OPIC : Respiratory Care
Relationships: Respiratory Diagnostic Tests and Their Purpose
D IRECTIONS
Have students work in pairs to create a table identifying various diagnostic tests and their purpose. Diagnostic tests should include: • Pulmonary function tests • Peak flow • Chest x-ray • Tuberculin skin test • Bronchoscopy
T IPS
It is important for nurses to have a good understanding of various respiratory diagnostic tests in order to best prepare the patient experiencing ventilation and oxygenation problems.
There is a student handout for this activity at the end of this document. The following table contains sample answers.
Diagnostic Test
Purpose
Significance of Abnormal Results Used to diagnose obstructive or restrictive lung diseases such as COPD and asthma. Used to determine dosage and frequency of some respiratory medications. Can be used by patient to monitor the effectiveness of medications. Used to determine lung filling and size of cardiac silhouette and to identify tumors, pneumonia, infiltrate, and effusions. If skin over and around injection site elevates and indurates with or without redness, the result is positive.
Pulmonary function tests
To determine lung capacity, volume, and flow rates.
Peak flow
Measures the amount of air that can be exhaled with force using a peak flowmeter.
Chest x-ray
Used to visualize lung fields; air appears dark, so it can be determined whether all lobes are filling with air. Fluid, dense tissue, and infiltrate appear white. To determine reaction to the presence of tuberculin bacillus in skin layers.
Tuberculin skin test
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