The nurse hears in a report that a patient has receptive or fluent aphasia. What communication abilities does the nurse anticipate from this patient?
A) The patient understands speech but is unable to translate ideas into meaningful speech.
B) The patient is able to understand speech but has difficulty forming words creating muffled speech.
C) The patient is unable to comprehend speech and thus does not respond verbally.
D) The patient is emotionally liable and cries easily, which interferes with the ability to communicate.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Option C is called receptive aphasia or fluent aphasia and is associated with lesions in the Wernicke area in the temporal lobe. The inability to translate ideas into meaningful speech or writing is termed expressive aphasia or nonfluent aphasia and is associated with lesions in the Broca area in the frontal lobe. Speech pattern B is more consistent with patients who have involvement of muscles of speech rather than neurologic deficits. Speech pattern D is not relevant to this patient.

The Nurse Hears in a Report That a Patient Has