Take the Test

1. Research on diabetes has shown that African Americans:

• a. Are twice as likely to be diagnosed with diabetes as non-Hispanic Whites.
• b. Are less likely to face a lower extremity amputation compared to non-Hispanic Whites.
• c. Are diagnosed with type 2 diabetes at a later age compared to other racial minorities.
• d. Have fewer complications related to diabetes compared to non-Hispanic Whites.

2. Which is an important function of the physical therapist on the diabetic foot care team?

• a. Assisting the patient with activities of daily living, such as getting dressed.
• b. Assessing the patient only after a diabetic foot ulcer has developed.
• c. Identifying early structural changes of the patient’s foot.
• d. Educating the patient on medication management.

3. Diabetes education is best viewed by the clinician as a process that is:

• a. Most effectively completed through one or two sessions with a diabetes educator.
• b. Essential for the newly diagnosed patient.
• c. Most effectively provided three to six months after diagnosis.
• d. Primarily focused on insulin administration.

4. When providing diabetes education to a patient, the clinician ensures that:

• a. Medical terminology is used in place of everyday terms.
• b. The term “wound” is always used instead of the less common term “ulcer.”
• c. Each teaching point is presented only once.
• d. Teaching materials are age-appropriate for the patient.

5. When instructing the patient with diabetes on good foot care, the clinician states:

• a. Foot checks should be done once a week.
• b. Walking barefoot should never be done in any location.
• c. If feet are cold, use a heating pad.
• d. Wear tight-fitting socks.

6. Which is an appropriate characteristic of shoes for a patient with diabetes?

• a. Room in the toe area
• b. Loose fit around the heel
• c. Slip-on instead of laced
• d. Made of rigid materials that do not stretch

7. What is a common finding in a patient with motor neuropathy?

• a. Increase in muscle bulk of the foot
• b. Excessive pressure on the dorsum of the foot
• c. Flaccidity in the patient’s toes and ankles
• d. Prominent metatarsal heads and claw toes

8. An important finding that may indicate a diagnosis of Charcot foot is:

• a. Decreased pedal pulses in the affected foot but not in the unaffected limb.
• b. Decreased white blood cell count.
• c. A difference in temperature between the affected limb and the unaffected limb.
• d. Increased C-reactive protein level.

9. When assessing a diabetic foot ulcer, which finding is considered critical and requiring immediate attention?

• a. Necrotic tissue
• b. Exposed bone in the wound
• c. Stringy slough
• d. Pink, viable tissue

10. What is the most common early presenting sign of a diabetic foot ulcer infection?

• a. Absence of pulse in the foot
• b. Cellulitis in the tissues surrounding the wound
• c. Elevated white blood cell count
• d. Lack of wound drainage

11. A grade 4 diabetic foot ulcer on the Wagner classification system indicates:

• a. Wet or dry gangrene is present on part of the foot.
• b. There is a history of previously healed ulcer.
• c. There is exposure of tendon and bone in the ulcer.
• d. Gangrene encompasses the entire foot.

12. Which is a general rule when selecting a dressing for a diabetic foot ulcer?

• a. For dry necrotic eschar, apply a dressing that will debride the eschar.
• b. Choose a dressing that can be left in place for more than five days.
• c. Apply an antimicrobial dressing to any wound with granulation tissue.
• d. For ulcers with slough, chose a dressing that will assist with debridement.

13. In the diagnosis of osteomyelitis, bone biopsies are used to:

• a. Determine how long the infection has been there.
• b. Assess the adequacy of circulation to the area.
• c. Determine if the infection has spread into other tissues.
• d. Identify the causative organism and correct antibiotic treatment.

14. Which is considered the most critical drawback of using total contact casting (TCC) as an intervention for a diabetic foot ulcer?

• a. TCC is rarely covered by a patient’s healthcare insurance.
• b. TCC can only be applied in an inpatient setting.
• c. Patients can develop allergic reactions to some of the components in TCC.
• d. TCC prevents frequent wound assessment since it is normally only replaced once a week.

15. The purpose of the peg system incorporated into some pressure-relieving shoes is to allow for:

• a. Easy dressing changes.
• b. Frequent wound inspections.
• c. Customized pressure relief.
• d. Improved circulation.

16. Which statement best describes a ray amputation?

• a. It is required when tissue death has spread beyond the patient’s forefoot.
• b. It removes the affected toe or toes along with part or all of the corresponding metatarsal.
• c. Forefoot stability is maintained when more than two rays are removed.
• d. Ray amputations have a higher rate of revision surgery than other amputations.

17. What is the basis behind mirror box therapy in the treatment of phantom pain?

• a. It distracts the patient from focusing on the amputated limb.
• b. It tricks the brain into believing that the missing limb is being moved into a pain-relieving position.
• c. It helps to facilitate patient adjustment to a new body image.
• d. It reenforces that phantom limb pain is an imaginary concept and is not real.