Concept 2 - Functional Ability Exam
Questions with Verified Answers
The nurse is assessing a patient's functional ability. Which activities most closely match
the definition of functional ability?
a. Healthy individual, works outside the home, uses a cane, well groomed
b. Healthy individual, college educated, travels frequently, can balance a checkbook
c. Healthy individual, works out, reads well, cooks and cleans house
d. Healthy individual, volunteers at church, works part time, takes care of family and
house - Answer-ANS: D
Functional ability refers to the individual's ability to perform the normal daily activities
required to meet basic needs; fulfill usual roles in the family, workplace, and community;
and maintain health and well-being. The other options are good; however, each option
has advanced or independent activities in the context of the option.
The nurse is assessing a patient's functional performance. What assessment
parameters will be most important in this assessment?
a. Continence assessment, gait assessment, feeding assessment, dressing
assessment, transfer assessment
b. Height, weight, body mass index (BMI), vital signs assessment
c. Sleep assessment, energy assessment, memory assessment, concentration
assessment
d. Healthy individual, volunteers at church, works part time, takes care of family and
house - Answer-ANS: A
Functional impairment, disability, or handicap refers to varying degrees of an individual's
inability to perform the tasks required to complete normal life activities without
assistance. Height, weight, BMI, and vital signs are physical assessment. Sleep,
energy, memory, and concentration are part of a depression screening. Healthy,
volunteering, working, and caring for family and house are functional abilities, not
performance.
The nurse is assessing a patient with a mobility dysfunction and wants to gain insight
into the patient's functional ability. What question would be the most appropriate?
a. "Are you able to shop for yourself?"
b. "Do you use a cane, walker, or wheelchair to ambulate?"
c. "Do you know what today's date is?"
d. "Were you sad or depressed more than once in the last 3 days?" - Answer-ANS: B
"Do you use a cane, walker, or wheelchair to ambulate?" will assist the nurse in
determining the patient's ability to perform self-care activities. A nutritional health risk
assessment is not the functional assessment. Knowing the date is part of a mental
status exam. Assessing sadness is a question to ask in the depression screening.
