NURS 612 EXAM 3 Review | VERIFIED REVIEW

NURS 612 EXAM 3 Review 1. Mental Assessment What is the purpose of assessing person place and time? Purpose is evaluate the cognitive function of a pt based on mental status components: orientation (determine level of confusion), memory, fund of knowledge, attention span, concentration, language, and abstract thoughts. ○ Person disorientation results from: cerebral trauma, seizures, or amnesia ○ Place disorientation results from: psychiatric disorders, delirium, and cognitive impairment. ○ Time disorientation results from: anxiety, delirium depression, and cognitive impairment 2. How many serial numbers should most be able to repeat? Ask the pt to listen then have them repeat a series of numbers: 5­8 numbers forward or 4­6 numbers backwards can usually be repeated. 3. How do you assess recent memory? ● Ask the pt what they had for lunch yesterday (recent) and where he/she graduated from elementary school (remote) ● Recent Memory: Give the pt a short time to view 4 or 5 test objects stating that you’re going to ask them about them again in a bit. 10 mins later, ask the pt to list the objects. All objects should be remembered ● Remote memory: Ask the pt to verify their mother’s maiden name, the high school they attended, military branch, or a subject of common knowledge. *Memory loss can result from a disease, infection, temporal lobe trauma. Impaired memory with various psychiatric disorders such as anxiety and depression. Loss of immediate and recent memory with retention of remote memory suggests dementia. 4. What psych condition is considered progressive and not reversible? Dementia 5. If a pt is delirious, does he maintain orientation and attention span? ● Orientation usually abnormal, may fluctuate. ○ Impaired short­term and long­term memory, altered consciousness ● Attention span prominently abnormal, fluctuates. ○ Impaired concentration, reduced attention span, slower thought process, indecisiveness, illogical flow of ideas ○