Deck 35: Assessment of Neurological Function

Question 1

A patient is unable to feel light touch down the anterior left leg and top of the left foot.How should the nurse document this finding?

A) Anesthesia
B) Paresthesia
C) Hypoesthesia
D) Hyperesthesia

Answer 1

Anesthesia

Question 2

The nurse is preparing to assess an older patient's neurologic status.What should the nurse keep in mind during this assessment?

A) Reaction time is slower
B) Flexibility is maintained
C) Pain sensation is heightened
D) Body movements are quicker

Answer 2

Reaction time is slower

Question 3

A patient is scheduled for an electroencephalogram.What preprocedure information should the nurse emphasize with this patient?

A) Avoid washing hair for two days prior to the test
B) Avoid caffeine for 8 to 12 hours before the test
C) Restrict the intake of fluids for six hours after the test
D) Apply minimal products to the hair the morning of the test

Answer 3

Avoid caffeine for 8 to 12 hours before the test

Question 4

During a neurologic assessment the nurse asks a patient to close the eyes and asks the patient to identify a paper clip placed in the hand.What is the nurse assessing?

A) Stereognosis
B) Hyperesthesia
C) Graphesthesia
D) Two-point discrimination

Question 5

A patient is scheduled for a myelogram prior to having spinal fusion surgery.What should the nurse instruct the patient to do prior to this test?

A) Shower with antiseptic soap
B) Take nothing by mouth for four hours before the test
C) Take an over-the-counter analgesic before arriving for the test
D) Restrict the intake of caffeine products for 24 hours before the test

Question 6

The nurse notes that an older patient sways when moving from a sitting to a standing position.What is this patient at risk for experiencing?

A) Falls
B) Hypothermia
C) Altered pain sensation
D) Reduced oxygen to the brain

Question 7

Family members are concerned because a patient has been confused over the last few days.What should the nurse respond to the family?

A) "Confusion is a normal sign of aging."
B) "Older people get confused at the end of the day."
C) "Unless the patient falls,there is nothing to worry about."
D) "Confusion can mean many things that should be evaluated."

Question 8

A patient is diagnosed with a health problem that causes demyelization of the peripheral nerves.Which cell structure is being affected?

A) Microglia
B) Astrocytes
C) Schwann cells
D) Oligodendrocytes

Question 9

A patient with type 2 diabetes mellitus is scheduled for a CT scan with contrast.What should the nurse specifically instruct the patient to prepare for this test?

A) Restrict fluids for 12 hours prior to the scan
B) Drink two liters of fluid the day before the scan
C) Limit the intake of meat and dairy products prior to the scan
D) Do not take Metformin for 48 hours prior to and after the scan

Question 10

The nurse is completing a Mini Mental Status Examination with a patient.What should the nurse ask to evaluate remote memory?

A) "Where did you park your car?"
B) "Where did you work in the 1970s?"
C) "Remember the colors red,green,blue,and yellow."
D) "What television show was on this morning during breakfast?"

Question 11

Which technique should the nurse use to assess a patient's CN IX Glossopharyngeal?

A) Apply a tongue depressor to the back of the throat
B) Ask the patient to read from a book or a newspaper
C) Ask the patient to smile,frown,puff cheeks,and raise eyebrows
D) Ask the patient to follow the examiner's finger as it is moved toward the patient's nose

Question 12

A patient's blood pressure increases after hearing that diagnostic tests for a health problem have to be repeated.Which receptor of the sympathetic nervous system is responsible for this blood pressure change?

A) Beta
B) Alpha
C) Nicotinic
D) Muscarinic

Question 13

A patient has been experiencing numbness of the right hand.Which diagnostic test should the nurse anticipate being prescribed for this patient?

A) Myelogram
B) Evoked potentials
C) Electroencephalography
D) Magnetic resonance imaging

Question 14

The nurse notes that a patient has ataxia.Which test should the nurse use to gain more information about this patient's gait?

A) Romberg
B) Patellar reflex
C) Plantar flexion
D) Achilles reflex

Question 15

A patient is experiencing changes in eye movements.Which part of the central nervous system is most likely causing these changes?

A) Pons
B) Midbrain
C) Medulla oblongata
D) Reticular formation

Question 16

A patient recovering from a lumbar puncture rates a headache as being 8 on a pain scale of 0 to 10.What should the nurse do while waiting for the health-care provider to prescribe pain medication?

A) Raise the head of the bed
B) Assist to sit out of bed in a chair
C) Encourage increasing oral fluid intake
D) Turn on the side and massage the lower spine

Question 17

A patient reports a change in the taste of food.Which cranial nerve should the nurse suspect as being affected?

A) CN VII Facial
B) CN V Trigeminal
C) CN XI Accessory
D) CN XII Hypoglossal

Question 18

A patient experiences a cramp in the right thigh.Which spinal tract is responsible for communicating to the thigh muscle to contract?

A) Somatic motor division
B) Visceral motor division
C) Somatic sensory division
D) Visceral sensory division

Question 19

The nurse needs to provide a strong stimulus to illicit a response;however,the patient drifts back to unresponsiveness.What term should the nurse use to document this patient's level of responsiveness?

A) Coma
B) Stupor
C) Lethargic
D) Conscious

Question 20

A patient is scheduled for a positron emission tomography (PET)scan.For which health problem should the nurse anticipate planning care for this patient?

A) Brain tumor
B) Cerebral bleed
C) Cranial fracture
D) Cerebral blood clot