Question

The nurse places a key in the hand of a patient and he identifies it correctly. What term would the nurse use to describe this finding?

a. extinction
b. stereognosis
c. graphesthesia
d. tactile discrimination

Answer 1

The term used by the nurse to describe a patient correctly identifying a key by touch is stereognosis, which assesses the ability to recognize objects through somatosensory information.

Step-by-step explanation:

When assessing a patient's ability to identify an object like a key by touch, the nurse is evaluating stereognosis. This is a sensory perception task where a common object is placed in a patient's hand, and they must identify it without visual aid, relying solely on touch and manipulation. The nurse would describe this finding as stereognosis, which is the capability to perceive the form of solid objects by touch. By contrast, other subtests like graphesthesia involve recognizing writing on the skin, and two-point discrimination assesses the ability to distinguish two separate points on the skin.