Question

You are conducting a primary assessment on a patient who has suffered an emergency. Although the patient is not spontaneously conscious, you note that when you call his name loudly he will open his eyes and then respond. Given this, you determine that his mental status is _________.

1) "V" for verbal.
2) "A" for alert.
3) "P" for painful.
4) "U" for unresponsive.

Answer 1

A patient who opens his eyes and responds when called by name is assessed as "V" for verbal on the AVPU scale, indicating that the patient can respond to verbal stimuli.

Step-by-step explanation:

When conducting a primary assessment on a patient who is not spontaneously conscious, if you note that the patient opens his eyes and responds when you call his name loudly, you determine that his mental status is "V" for verbal. This indicates that the patient is able to respond to verbal stimuli, which is a key observation in determining the level of consciousness. This type of response is part of the AVPU scale (Alert, Verbal, Pain, Unresponsive) used by health care providers to assess a patient's level of consciousness in an emergency setting.