Page 396 - Saunders Comprehensive Review For NCLEX-RN

From Ball JW, Dains JE, Flynn JA, Solomon BS, Stewart RW: Seidel’s guide to physical
examination, ed 8, St. Louis, 2015, Elsevier.

Box 12-2

The Mental Status Examination: Cognitive Level
of Functioning

Orientation: Assess client’s orientation to person, place, and time.
Attention Span: Assess client’s ability to concentrate.
Recent Memory: Assessed by asking the client to recall a recent occurrence (e.g.,
the means of transportation used to get to the health care agency for the
physical assessment).
Remote Memory: Assessed by asking the client about a verifiable past event
(e.g., a vacation).
New Learning: Used to assess the client’s ability to recall unrelated words
identified by the nurse; the nurse selects four words and asks the client to
recall the words 5, 10, and 30 minutes later.
Judgment: Determine whether the client’s actions or decisions regarding

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