The gradual and progressive condition that causes a decline in memory and the ability to perform activities of daily living is called dementia. True or false?

Choice A reason: Pain level assessment is important but unrelated to orientation, which evaluates mental state via time, place, and person questions. Assuming pain assesses orientation risks missing cognitive deficits, delaying diagnosis of delirium or dementia, critical for tailoring care and interventions in patients with altered mental status.

Choice B reason: Personal hygiene reflects self-care ability, not orientation to time, place, or person, which assesses mental state. Assuming hygiene evaluates orientation misguides assessment, risking oversight of cognitive impairments, essential for diagnosing conditions like Alzheimer’s or acute confusion, requiring targeted interventions in clinical practice.

Choice C reason: Orientation questions assess mental state, evaluating cognitive function through awareness of time, place, and person. This detects impairments in conditions like delirium or dementia, guiding care planning. Accurate assessment ensures timely interventions, critical for managing cognitive decline and supporting patient safety and communication in healthcare settings.

Choice D reason: Family medical history provides genetic context but doesn’t assess orientation, which targets mental state. Assuming history evaluates orientation risks missing cognitive issues, delaying diagnosis of acute or chronic cognitive impairments, critical for implementing cognitive support or pharmacological interventions in patients with suspected mental status changes.

Choice A reason: This open-ended question prompts a detailed description of seizure-related feelings, encouraging subjective narrative responses. It requires the patient to elaborate on sensory or emotional experiences, which is not conducive to a yes/no or specific answer, making it unsuitable as a closed-ended question.

Choice B reason: Asking about symptoms before a urinary tract infection is open-ended, inviting a broad range of responses about various symptoms. It seeks detailed patient input, not a concise or specific answer, which contrasts with the structure of closed-ended questions that limit response scope.

Choice C reason: Asking when the first stroke occurred is closed-ended, expecting a specific, concise answer, such as a date or time frame. It limits the response to factual data, fitting the definition of a closed-ended question used in medical assessments to gather precise historical information.

Choice D reason: This question about past work is open-ended, prompting a detailed recount of occupational history. It encourages expansive answers, not a single, definitive response, making it inappropriate as a closed-ended question, which seeks focused, limited information in clinical settings.