Writing good Exam questions workshop examples
Objective 1: Recognize signs and symptoms of pneumonia (knowledge)
Objective 2: Differentiate between CAP, HAP, and HCAP (analysis)
Objective 3: Give examples of common etiologies for CAP, HAP, and HCAP (comprehension)
Objective 4: Recommend appropriate therapy for CAP, HAP, and HCAP based on patient specific characteristics
(evaluation)
Objective 5: Develop a monitoring plan based on the therapy prescribed for CAP, HAP, and HCAP (synthesis)
Short Answer Questions
Mrs. X is presenting to the hospital from her nursing home with fevers, cough, and shortness of breath. X-ray in the ED is
positive for a left lobe infiltrate consistent with pneumonia. She has a PMH of DM Type 2, HTN, and gout. Her allergies
include PCN (maculopapular rash), Aspirin (bronchospasm). Her current medications include lisinopril, atenolol,
metformin, and insulin glargine. She is 150 lbs, 5’3” with stable renal function (BUN/SrCr=25/ 1.3).
Recommend an appropriate therapy to treat this
infection (2 pts)
Recommend the most appropriate antibiotic therapy for Mrs. X
(including drug(s), dose(s), route(s), schedule(s), and
duration(s) (2 pts)
Recommend a monitoring plan for the therapy you
chose in the above question (2 pts)
Recommend 3 therapeutic and 3 toxic monitoring parameters for
the regimen in the question above (3 pts)
Therapeutic:
1.____________2. _______________3._________________
Toxic:
1.____________2._______________3.__________________
List potential options that can be used to treat
pneumonia in Mrs. X (3 pts)
For each of the following options, indicate whether or not it is
appropriate for the treatment of infection in Mrs. X and provide
your rationale. Consider each option independent of the others:
Option 1
Appropriate
Rationale (1 pt)
(Yes/No) (0.5 pt
each)
Levofloxacin
Cefepime +
Vancomycin +
Ciprofloxacin
Pip/Tazo +
Levofloxacin +
Vancomycin
Writing good Exam questions workshop examples
Jane is a 70 y.o. woman who presents to the hospital with increasing shortness of breath and productive cough. Her vital
signs in ED: Temp=101F, BP=135/80, HR=95, O2SAT=92% on room air. Chest X-ray is positive for an infiltrate in the
right lobe. Jane has HTN and hyperlipidemia. She lives at home with her husband. She is allergic to PCN - hives
What’s wrong with this question?
Objective 1:
What signs and symptoms of pneumonia does Jane
display?
a. Fever
b. Cough
c. Infiltrate on chest x-ray
d. All of the above*
Objective 3:
Which of the following pathogens is the LEAST likely
cause of Jane’s infection?
a. S.pneumoniae
b. H.influenzae
c. M.pneumoniae
d. S.aureus*
Objective 4:
What is the best regimen to begin in Jane?
a. Supportive care
b. Levofloxacin*
c. Ceftriaxone+Azithromycin
d. B or C
Objective 5:
Which of the following is a parameter to monitor for
side effects of Jane’s treatment?
a. SrCr
b. LFTs
c. Blood glucose
Better:
Writing good Exam questions workshop examples
What’s wrong with this question?
Which statement concerning imidazoline
agonists is incorrect?
A. They are commonly partial agonists
B. They tend to activate beta-adrenergic
receptors more than alpha receptors
C. Some are used as nasal decongestants
D. None of the above
Acute intermittent porphyria is the result of a
defect in the biosynthetic pathway for:
a. collagen
b. fatty acid
c. glucose
d. heme
Which of the following drugs can be safely used
to control signs and symptoms of anxiety in a
patient with a diagnosis of generalized anxiety
disorder and a history of sedative-hypnotic and
alcohol abuse?
a. Sertraline
b. Imipramine
c. Buspirone
d. Zisprasidone
e. Any and all of the above
Better: