A nurse asks a patient, "If you had fever and vomiting for 3 days, what would you do?" Which aspect of the mental status examination is the nurse assessing?
A) Behavior
B) Cognition
C) Affect and mood
D) Perceptual disturbances

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Assessing cognition involves determining a patient's judgment and decision making. In this case, the nurse would expect a response of "Call my doctor" if the patient's cognition and judgment are intact. If the patient responds, "I would stop eating" or "I would just wait and see what happened," the nurse would conclude that judgment is impaired. The other options refer to other aspects of the examination.

A Nurse Asks a Patient, "If You Had Fever and Vomiting