A nurse in an emergency department is caring for a client following a motor-vehicle crash. The client’s Glasgow coma scale rating is 15.
Which of the following findings should the nurse expect?

This means that the client knows who they are, where they are, and what time it is. This indicates a high level of consciousness and a normal Glasgow coma scale (GCS) rating of 15.

Choice A is wrong because the client withdraws from pain.

This means that the client reacts to a painful stimulus by pulling away from it. This indicates a lower level of consciousness and a GCS rating of 4 for motor response.

Choice B is wrong because the client is unable to obey commands.

This means that the client does not follow simple instructions such as moving a limb or opening their eyes. This indicates a lower level of consciousness and a GCS rating of 1 or 2 for motor response.

Choice C is wrong because the client opens eyes to sound.

This means that the client does not open their eyes spontaneously, but only when they hear a loud noise. This indicates a lower level of consciousness and a GCS rating of 3 for eye opening.

The Glasgow coma scale is a clinical tool used to assess the level of consciousness of a person after a brain injury.

It consists of three tests: eye opening, verbal response, and motor response.

Each test has a score range from 1 to 6, with higher scores indicating higher levels of consciousness. The total score ranges from 3 to 15, with lower scores indicating higher risk of death.

Having interdisciplinary team meetings for the client on a regular basis.

This action best promotes communication among staff caring for the client because it allows for consistent and coordinated care planning, information sharing, and goal setting for the client who has expressive aphasia and right hemiparesis following a stroke.

Choice A is wrong because posting swallowing precautions at the head of the client’s bed does not promote communication among staff, but rather informs them of the client’s risk of aspiration due to dysphagia, which is a common complication of stroke.

Choice B is wrong because noting changes in the treatment plan in the client’s medical record is a standard practice that does not necessarily enhance communication among staff, but rather documents the client’s progress and interventions.

Choice D is wrong because recording the client’s progress in the nurses’ notes is also a standard practice that does not necessarily enhance communication among staff, but rather provides a summary of the client’s status and care.

Expressive aphasia is an acquired language disorder that affects the ability to produce spoken or written language, while right hemiparesis is a weakness or partial paralysis of the right side of the body.

Both of these conditions are caused by damage to the left hemisphere of the brain, which is responsible for language and motor control of the right side of the body. Stroke and traumatic brain injury are common causes of left hemisphere damage