Alertness and Orientation Quiz

1 You are called to respond for a dementia patient. Your patient is conscious and breathing and tracks you as you approach. They correctly give their name and say that they known what date it is. They are able to give the correct location. When asked why EMS was called, the patient states that their son is worried about their low blood pressure. The son confirms the story. What is their AxO status?

2 You are called to respond for a patient who was found outside in a gutter by the police department. Your patient is conscious and breathing and tracks you as you approach. The patient is able to tell you their name, as confirmed by ID and the date/year. They correctly answer the physical location as well as events leading to the 911 call, corroborated by bystanders. Your patient smells of alcohol and is audibly slurring and unsteady on their feet. What is their AxO status?

3 You are called to respond for a patient who was "acting abnormally" per wife. Your patient is conscious and breathing and tracks you as you approach. The patient gives you an incorrect name and states that it is 1969. They correctly answer the physical location as well as events leading to the 911 call, corroborated by wife. Your patient fell experienced a fall yesterday and have not sought medical attention. What is their AxO status?

4 You are called to respond for a man down in an alley. Your patient is semiconscious and breathing and tracks you as you approach. They are somnolent on scene and have a large hematoma above their right eye. The patient responds with incorrect words when asked questions and is unable to follow commands. They are able to give you their name when asked but nothing else. What is their AxO status?

5 You are called to respond for a vehicle that was seen drifting off the road after a stop sign and eventually rolled headfirst into a tree at less than 5 mph. Your patient is conscious and tracks you upon approach. There is no obvious trauma to the patient that you can see. The patient states "Jim" when asked his name and is able to converse normally. The patient is able to recall the date. What is their AxO status?

6 You are called to respond for a dementia patient. Your patient is conscious and breathing and tracks you as you approach. They are able to correctly state their name as well as the date and location without issue. When asked why EMS was called, the patient states that their son is worried about their low blood pressure. The son confirms the story. What is their AxO status?

7 Your patient is somnolent and will only "wake up" when you raise your voice. They smell of alcohol and are incomprehensible when they speak. Which acronym/s is best used for this patient?

8 "How many quarters are there in a dollar?" is an acceptable alertness and orientation question according to this site.

9 Yes and no questions should not be used when assessing alertness and orientation status

10 Alertness and orientation assessment is part of the secondary assessment, after the ABCs of the primary assessment and the general impression.