HESI (Health and Environmental Sciences Institute) Health Assessment Practice Test

In patients with asthma, the assessment finding of using accessory neck muscles is significant and indicates that the patient may be experiencing difficulty in breathing. Asthma attacks often lead to airway constriction and increased resistance to airflow, making it challenging for the patient to breathe effectively. As a result, the body compensates by recruiting additional muscles, such as the accessory muscles in the neck, to assist with ventilation. This is a prominent activity observed during an asthma exacerbation when the respiratory muscles are under strain.

In contrast, a decreased respiratory rate may be observed in some circumstances but is not a typical finding in an asthma attack, where the respiratory rate often increases due to distress. Crackles might be present in other respiratory conditions but are not characteristic of asthma, which more commonly presents with wheezes due to narrowed airways. Increased breath sounds might suggest increased airflow in certain conditions but could be misleading in the context of asthma, where wheezing is the hallmark of turbulent airflow in constricted airways. Thus, the assessment of accessory muscle use directly reflects the increased work of breathing associated with asthma and highlights the severity of the condition.