Which mnemonic is used for assessing mental status?

The correct answer is B, AVPU, which is used to assess a patient's mental status in an emergency setting. AVPU is an acronym that stands for:

• A: Alert - the patient is fully awake (though not necessarily oriented).
• V: Verbal - the patient responds to verbal stimuli.

• P: Pain - the patient responds to painful stimuli.
• U: Unresponsive - the patient does not respond to any stimuli.

Using the AVPU scale allows healthcare professionals to quickly gauge a patient's level of consciousness and make decisions regarding the urgency of care and necessary interventions.

The other mnemonics represent different assessments or prioritizations but are not specifically designed for mental status evaluation. For instance, ABCDE typically refers to airway, breathing, circulation, disability, and exposure/evacuation, which focuses on primary assessment of a patient’s immediate physical state rather than mental status. FLACC is a pain assessment tool specifically for children who cannot communicate their pain levels verbally, focusing on facial expressions, legs, activity, cry, and consolability. PQRST is a mnemonic commonly used in the assessment of pain, standing for Provocation, Quality, Radiation, Severity, and Time, which helps in understanding the