The nurse is preparing to conduct a mental status examination. Which statement is true regarding the mental status examination?
a. A patient's family is the best resource for information about the patient's coping skills.
b. Gathering mental status information during the health history interview is usually sufficient.
c. Integrating the mental status examination into the health history interview takes an enormous amount of extra time.
d. To get a good idea of the patient's level of functioning, performing a complete mental status examination is usually necessary.
ANS: B
The full mental status examination is a systematic check of emotional and cognitive functioning. The steps described, however, rarely need to be taken in their entirety. Usually, one can assess mental status through the context of the health history interview.
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