A Patient Is Admitted to the Unit After an Automobile

Multiple Choice

A patient is admitted to the unit after an automobile accident.The nurse begins the mental status examination and finds that the patient's speech is dysarthric and that she is lethargic.The nurse's best approach regarding this examination is to:

A) plan to defer the rest of the mental status examination.
B) skip the language portion of the examination and go on to assess mood and affect.
C) do an in-depth speech evaluation and defer the mental status examination to another time.
D) go ahead and assess for suicidal thoughts because dysarthria is often accompanied by severe depression.