Question

The nurse has been asked to assess a 54-year-old client's memory. Which technique would allow the nurse to evaluate recent memory?

1) Observing the client's ability to recall recent events
2) Assessing the client's ability to remember childhood experiences
3) Testing the client's long-term memory
4) Evaluating the client's ability to solve complex problems

Answer 1

The nurse can evaluate recent memory by observing the client's ability to recall recent events.

Step-by-step explanation:

The technique that would allow the nurse to evaluate recent memory in a 54-year-old client is observing the client's ability to recall recent events. This involves assessing the client's ability to remember recent experiences or events that have occurred in the past few minutes or hours. Some specific tasks that can be used to evaluate recent memory include the three-word recall test, where the patient is given three words to recall after a short interval, and tasks like reciting the months of the year in reverse order or spelling common words backwards.