A 20 year old male patient reports loss of interest and depressed mood during his appointment. The nurse would utilize what screening tool to further evaluate the patient?

A. Thought content: The four unrelated words test does not assess thought content, which refers to the patient’s ideas, beliefs, and perception of reality. Thought content is typically evaluated through direct questioning and observation of the patient’s speech patterns and behaviors.

B. Attention span: Attention span is assessed by evaluating the patient's ability to concentrate on simple tasks, such as following a set of instructions or completing a short mental exercise. The four unrelated words test is not designed to measure attention span directly.

C. Distant memory: Distant memory refers to the recall of events or information from the past, such as childhood experiences or historical events. The four unrelated words test assesses recent recall rather than distant memory.

D. New memory: The four unrelated words test evaluates the ability to form and retrieve new memories. The nurse provides the patient with four unrelated words, asks them to recall them after a few minutes, and reassesses recall at intervals. Impairments in new memory recall can indicate cognitive deficits seen in conditions like dementia or head trauma.

A. Maxillary sinusitis: The symptoms described, including facial pain, fever, malaise, swollen turbinates, purulent nasal discharge, and dull, throbbing pain in the cheeks and teeth, are consistent with maxillary sinusitis. The maxillary sinuses are located in the cheeks, and inflammation or infection in this area can lead to referred pain in the teeth and facial areas. Tenderness upon palpation of the maxillary sinus area further supports this diagnosis.

B. Posterior epistaxis: Posterior epistaxis refers to bleeding from the back of the nasal cavity. While it can be associated with nasal pain, it does not typically present with fever, malaise, purulent discharge, or sinus-related pain.

C. Frontal sinusitis: Frontal sinusitis involves inflammation of the frontal sinuses located above the eyes, which may cause pain in the forehead and around the eyes. The patient's complaint of cheek and teeth pain is more indicative of maxillary sinusitis rather than frontal sinusitis.

D. Nasal polyps: Nasal polyps are non-cancerous growths that can occur in the nasal passages or sinuses, often leading to obstruction and difficulty breathing. While they can be associated with sinusitis, the acute presentation of fever, malaise, and purulent discharge, along with facial pain, is more indicative of an active infection, such as maxillary sinusitis.