Free Elimination and Catheterisation MCQs with Answers

50 Elimination and Catheterisation MCQs from Fundamentals of Nursing, each with the correct answer and a written explanation of why it is correct. Free and unlimited, with no account needed.

Elimination care covers normal bowel and urinary patterns, constipation, diarrhoea, incontinence, retention, enemas, ostomies and specimen collection. Catheterisation includes indications, catheter types, insertion principles, drainage-bag care and prevention of urinary infection, with attention to the difference between urinary retention and incontinence.

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50 questions · page 2 of 3

  • A. Pale yellow urine with a mild odour
  • B. Cloudy urine with a strong odour
  • C. Bright red urine with small clots
  • D. Dark brown urine with a sweet odour

Explanation: Adequate hydration commonly produces pale yellow urine with a mild odour.

Correct answer: Pale yellow urine with a mild odour
Moderate
  • A. Check the tubing for kinks and dependent loops
  • B. Remove the catheter and insert another one
  • C. Irrigate the catheter with sterile water immediately
  • D. Restrict the patient's oral fluids until review

Explanation: The nurse first checks for simple mechanical obstruction, such as a kinked tube or a dependent loop.

Correct answer: Check the tubing for kinks and dependent loops
  • A. From the catheter sampling port using aseptic technique
  • B. From the drainage bag after allowing urine to collect
  • C. From the catheter tubing after disconnecting the system
  • D. From the first urine emptied into a clean bedpan

Explanation: A sterile specimen is collected from the disinfected sampling port using aseptic technique.

Correct answer: From the catheter sampling port using aseptic technique
  • A. A patient with temporary inability to empty the bladder
  • B. A patient who prefers not to use a bedpan
  • C. A patient with mild stress incontinence on coughing
  • D. A patient who needs routine urine monitoring at home

Explanation: Intermittent catheterisation can empty the bladder when a patient has temporary or chronic difficulty voiding.

Correct answer: A patient with temporary inability to empty the bladder
Easy
  • A. A small amount of liquid stool leaking around hard stool
  • B. Soft formed stool passed every morning
  • C. Mild abdominal sounds after eating a meal
  • D. One day without a bowel movement in an adult

Explanation: Liquid stool may seep around an impacted mass and is called overflow or paradoxical diarrhoea.

Correct answer: A small amount of liquid stool leaking around hard stool
Hard
  • A. Report the finding promptly to the surgical team
  • B. Apply petroleum jelly and reassess it tomorrow
  • C. Cover the stoma tightly with a dry dressing
  • D. Encourage oral fluids and continue routine care

Explanation: A healthy stoma is moist and pink to red, while a dusky, purple, or cool stoma may indicate impaired blood supply.

Correct answer: Report the finding promptly to the surgical team
Moderate
  • A. Monitor fluid balance and signs of dehydration
  • B. Encourage a large serving of raw vegetables
  • C. Expect the output to be formed within the first day
  • D. Limit all oral fluids to reduce the output

Explanation: An ileostomy commonly produces liquid output, which can cause substantial fluid and electrolyte loss.

Correct answer: Monitor fluid balance and signs of dehydration
  • A. Cleanse gently, dry the skin, and apply a moisture barrier
  • B. Scrub the perineal area with strong antiseptic after each stool
  • C. Leave the skin exposed to stool until the next scheduled bath
  • D. Apply talcum powder to all moist skin after each episode

Explanation: Gentle cleansing, careful drying, and a moisture barrier reduce contact with irritating stool and protect the skin.

Correct answer: Cleanse gently, dry the skin, and apply a moisture barrier
  • A. Leave it as a landmark and insert a new sterile catheter
  • B. Remove it, clean the catheter, and use it again
  • C. Advance it further and inflate the balloon in the vagina
  • D. Withdraw it slightly and redirect the same catheter

Explanation: A catheter placed in the vagina is contaminated and should remain there as a landmark while a new sterile catheter is obtained.

Correct answer: Leave it as a landmark and insert a new sterile catheter
  • A. Clean the meatus and catheter from the urethra outward
  • B. Pull the catheter gently while cleaning the meatus
  • C. Clean from the drainage bag toward the urethral opening
  • D. Disconnect the catheter from the bag before cleaning the area

Explanation: Perineal and catheter care is performed from the urethral opening outward, using clean technique according to facility policy.

Correct answer: Clean the meatus and catheter from the urethra outward
  • A. One bowel movement every two weeks
  • B. Three bowel movements daily to three weekly
  • C. One bowel movement after every meal
  • D. Five bowel movements every morning

Explanation: Normal bowel frequency varies widely, from about three movements per day to three per week.

Correct answer: Three bowel movements daily to three weekly
Moderate
  • A. Encourage fluids, fibre, and regular activity
  • B. Restrict fluids until the stool becomes formed
  • C. Administer an antidiarrhoeal medicine routinely
  • D. Encourage bed rest until bowel sounds increase

Explanation: Opioids slow intestinal motility and commonly cause constipation. Fluids, dietary fibre, activity, and a prescribed bowel regimen help…

Correct answer: Encourage fluids, fibre, and regular activity
Easy
  • A. Offer regular toileting and provide privacy
  • B. Limit oral fluids to reduce bowel movements
  • C. Keep the patient in bed until the episode stops
  • D. Delay cleansing until the scheduled bath time

Explanation: Regular toileting, privacy, and prompt assistance reduce accidents while preserving dignity.

Correct answer: Offer regular toileting and provide privacy
  • A. When it is completely full and heavy
  • B. When it is about one-third to one-half full
  • C. Only when the patient changes the appliance
  • D. When the stoma stops producing output

Explanation: Emptying the pouch when it is about one-third to one-half full prevents excessive weight from pulling on the seal and skin.

Correct answer: When it is about one-third to one-half full
  • A. Moist pink stoma with liquid output
  • B. Urine output of 20 mL in the last hour
  • C. Mild gas passing into the pouch
  • D. Small amount of mucus from the rectum

Explanation: An ileostomy can cause substantial fluid and electrolyte loss, so urine output of 20 mL in one hour may indicate hypovolaemia or reduced…

Correct answer: Urine output of 20 mL in the last hour
Hard
  • A. Save the first urine and end with the next morning urine
  • B. Discard the first urine and save every specimen afterward
  • C. Collect only the urine passed after meals
  • D. Stop collecting whenever the container becomes half full

Explanation: The first void is discarded to mark the start time, and all urine passed during the following 24 hours is collected, including the final…

Correct answer: Discard the first urine and save every specimen afterward
Moderate
  • A. Increase the flow rate to complete the procedure
  • B. Stop or slow the flow and assess the patient
  • C. Continue the procedure without speaking to the patient
  • D. Add more solution to overcome the cramping

Explanation: Severe cramping may result from rapid instillation or excessive bowel stimulation.

Correct answer: Stop or slow the flow and assess the patient
  • A. A three-lumen indwelling catheter
  • B. A single-lumen straight catheter
  • C. An external urine collection device
  • D. A small feeding tube used as a catheter

Explanation: A three-lumen catheter provides channels for urine drainage, irrigation inflow, and irrigation outflow.

Correct answer: A three-lumen indwelling catheter
Moderate
  • A. Disconnect the tubing to make transfer easier
  • B. Keep the tubing connected and prevent dependent loops
  • C. Place the drainage bag on the patient's abdomen
  • D. Clamp the catheter for the entire transfer

Explanation: Keeping the system connected reduces contamination, and the tubing should remain free of kinks and dependent loops so urine drains by…

Correct answer: Keep the tubing connected and prevent dependent loops
  • A. A small amount of burning with the first void
  • B. No urine output and increasing lower abdominal discomfort
  • C. The patient asks for help walking to the toilet
  • D. The patient voids 150 mL four hours later

Explanation: Absent urine with increasing suprapubic discomfort after catheter removal suggests recurrent urinary retention and requires prompt…

Correct answer: No urine output and increasing lower abdominal discomfort