Question

The nurse is looking to assess the client's ability to concentrate. Which task should the nurse ask the client to perform?

1) Reading a passage and summarizing it
2) Solving a math problem
3) Singing a song
4) Drawing a picture

Answer 1

The most appropriate task to assess a client's ability to concentrate would be to have them read a passage and summarize it. This task not only requires focus but also engages the client's comprehension, memory, and analytical skills.

Step-by-step explanation:

To assess a client's ability to concentrate, the nurse could ask the client to perform a task that requires attention and cognitive processing. Option 1), reading a passage and summarizing it, would be an appropriate choice as it requires the client to focus, understand, and then articulate the core ideas of the text, demonstrating comprehension and concentration abilities. This task involves active engagement with the material and thus, can effectively evaluate the client's concentration.

Another task that might check concentration, though not listed among the options, could be asking the client to recite a list of numbers back or to perform some sorts of mental manipulation, such as spelling a common word backwards. These types of exercises demand attention and working memory, thereby serving as another useful method to assess concentration.

Tasks like the three-word recall test or counting backwards can help assess memory, but the best option among the given choices for evaluating the ability to concentrate would be reading a passage and summarizing it, as it combines reading comprehension with the exercise of memory and analytical skills which are integral to the process of summarization.