During a mental status examination, the nurse wants to assess a ...

[justinmsk]

During a mental status examination, the nurse wants to assess a patient's affect. The nurse should ask the patient which question?
 
  a. How do you feel today?
  b. Would you please repeat the following words?
  c. Have these medications had any effect on your pain?
  d. Has this pain affected your ability to get dressed by yourself?

Question 2

The nurse is planning to assess new memory with a patient. The best way for the nurse to do this would be to:
 
  a. Administer the FACT test.
  b. Ask him to describe his first job.
  c. Give him the Four Unrelated Words Test.
  d. Ask him to describe what television show he was watching before coming to the clinic.

[emily12345]

Answer to Question 1

ANS: A
Judge mood and affect by body language and facial expression and by directly asking, How do you feel today? or How do you usually feel? The mood should be appropriate to the person's place and condition and should appropriately change with the topics.

Answer to Question 2

ANS: C
Ask questions that can be corroborated, which screens for the occasional person who confabulates or makes up answers to fill in the gaps of memory loss. The Four Unrelated Words Test tests the person's ability to lay down new memories and is a highly sensitive and valid memory test.