An older adult client has been admitted due to decreased cognition. What assessment finding is most suggestive of delirium as the cause of the client's cognitive impairment?
The client has a family history of cognitive disorders.
The client has recently begun a new medication.
The client's cognition has declined over a period of several months to a year.
The client has a history of hypertension.
The Correct Answer is B
Choice A reason: Family history suggests dementia, not delirium. Dementia progresses slowly, unlike delirium’s acute onset, making this less indicative of the sudden cognitive shift typical of delirium, especially without a rapid trigger in this case fully here.
Choice B reason: New medication often causes delirium in older adults via anticholinergic effects or toxicity. This acute, reversible change aligns with delirium’s hallmark sudden onset, making it the most suggestive finding for this cognitive impairment accurately here.
Choice C reason: Decline over months to a year fits dementia, not delirium. Delirium is acute, not chronic, excluding this gradual progression as a sign of the rapid cognitive shift delirium presents in this assessment entirely and fully.
Choice D reason: Hypertension risks vascular dementia, not delirium. It’s a chronic factor, not an acute trigger, missing delirium’s sudden, reversible nature tied to immediate causes like drugs, rendering it less relevant here comprehensively and clearly.
Nursing Test Bank
Naxlex Comprehensive Predictor Exams
Related Questions
Correct Answer is C
Explanation
Choice A reason: Hyperthyroidism may cause eye issues like exophthalmos, not cataracts. Lens opacity from aging or smoking outweighs thyroid risk, making this 55-year-old less prioritized for cataract screening than older, smoking-exposed clients in this context fully.
Choice B reason: Minimal alcohol (two beers weekly) at 30 poses no cataract risk. Age and smoking are stronger factors; this young client lacks the cumulative exposure or oxidative stress tied to lens clouding, excluding them entirely here.
Choice C reason: At 75, with 50 years of smoking, this client faces high cataract risk. Aging degrades lens proteins, and smoking’s oxidative damage accelerates opacity, making this the priority for assessment and education on cataract prevention accurately here.
Choice D reason: Arteriosclerosis at 40 affects vessels, not lenses directly. While vascular health matters, age and smoking outweigh this risk for cataracts, rendering this client lower priority than the older, heavily smoking individual in this scenario fully.
Correct Answer is D
Explanation
Choice A reason: PSA isn’t highly reliable alone; false positives occur. It’s a screening tool, not definitive, requiring biopsy for diagnosis, making this inaccurate and less informative than explaining its broader causes for this client fully here.
Choice B reason: PSA complements, not replaces, digital rectal exam (DRE). Both detect cancer; PSA misses some tumors DRE finds, rendering this false and incomplete for teaching screening essentials to a committed client entirely here fully.
Choice C reason: Annual PSA at 25 is too early; guidelines suggest 50, or 40-45 with family history. This overstates frequency and timing, misguiding the client on evidence-based screening practices for prostate cancer risk comprehensively here.
Choice D reason: PSA rises with cancer, BPH, or infection, educating the client on its non-specificity. This accurate teaching supports informed screening with family history, clarifying why follow-up is key, making it the best response accurately here.
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