"A nurse begins the mental status exam of an older adult. Before assessing the client's thought processes and perceptions, the n
urse should first obtain the results of what other assessments?A. Speech and facial expressionsB. Ability to follow commands and move extremitiesC. Vital signs and nutritional statusD. Vision and hearing"
The first steps to check in a patient's mental examination is the level of consciousness, so the initial assessment includes asking to the patient if is oriented in person, time and place, if the patient responds correctly means it understands and that to this point there is not cortical damage and that is able to follow commands, that means the patient understands and that there is no damage at cortical level. When we ask the patient to follow commands and the patient responds we double check that the patient can indeed understand and interpret correctly an order, if the patient can move means there is no motor damage and we can proceed with the rest of the examination.
