NURS 301-P
Health Assessment
Exam Review 2
Chapter 5 Mental Status Exam
Define the behaviors that are considered in an assessment of a person’s mental status
Describe relevant developmental care related to the
...
NURS 301-P
Health Assessment
Exam Review 2
Chapter 5 Mental Status Exam
Define the behaviors that are considered in an assessment of a person’s mental status
Describe relevant developmental care related to the mental status examination
State the purpose of a mental status assessment
Complete a Mini-Mental state examination
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. During an examination, the nurse can assess mental status by which activity?
a. Examining the patient’s electroencephalogram
b. Observing the patient as he or she performs an intelligence quotient (IQ) test
c. Observing the patient and inferring health or dysfunction
d. Examining the patient’s response to a specific set of questions
ANS: C
Mental status cannot be directly scrutinized like the characteristics of skin or heart sounds. Its
functioning is inferred through an assessment of an individual’s behaviors, such as
consciousness, language, mood and affect, and other aspects.
PTS: 1 DIF: Cognitive Level: Understanding (Comprehension)
REF: p. 67 MSC: Client Needs: Psychosocial Integrity
2. The nurse is assessing the mental status of a child. Which statement about children and mental
status is true?
a. All aspects of mental status in children are interdependent.
b. Children are highly labile and unstable until the age of 2 years.
c. Children’s mental status is largely a function of their parents’ level of functioning
until the age of 7 years.
d. A child’s mental status is impossible to assess until the child develops the ability to
concentrate.
ANS: A
Separating and tracing the development of only one aspect of mental status is difficult. All
aspects are interdependent. For example, consciousness is rudimentary at birth because the
cerebral cortex is not yet developed. The infant cannot distinguish the self from the mother’s
body. The other statements are not true.
PTS: 1 DIF: Cognitive Level: Understanding (Comprehension)
REF: p. 68 MSC: Client Needs: Psychosocial Integrity
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