Question

While you are assessing the sensory function of a patient with a suspected spinal injury, What BEST describes what you should instruct your patient to do before you perform the test?

1) Clear your mind.
2) Squeeze your fingers together.
3) Close your eyes.
4) Hold your breath.

Answer 1

Before a sensory function test for a patient with a suspected spinal injury, the patient should be instructed to close their eyes. This focuses their sensory perception on touch, pain, and temperature without visual interference, which is important for accurately assessing spinal cord function.

Step-by-step explanation:

In assessing the sensory function of a patient with a suspected spinal injury, the appropriate instruction to give to the patient before commencing the test is to close your eyes. This helps prevent visual cues from influencing the patient's ability to feel various sensations such as touch, temperature, pain, and proprioception. The patient's attention is thus more focused on the sensations being tested. Sensory examinations may involve testing the light touch of a cotton applicator across different dermatomes or requesting the patient to identify when they feel the touch of a pen on their skin.

Moreover, the sensory and motor exams are crucial for assessing functions related to the spinal cord and the nerves connected to it. Understanding which dermatomes are affected can help localize potential damage to the spinal cord.