Initial assessment of patient cognition in a rehabilitation hospital

A descriptive study was undertaken to ascertain that the cognitive assessment done by nursing staff on patients' admission to a rehabilitation hospital specifically relates to the rehabilitation population. The study took place on a 40-bed general rehabilitation unit. Eighteen patients were evaluated consecutively using a modified mental status examination. Findings demonstrated that the initial cognitive assessment of the rehabilitation patient should include level of consciousness, orientation, insight, recall, attention, visual-spatial skills, affect, and speech. In this article, the authors describe the study results and illustrate the implications for rehabilitation nursing in a case study.