A nurse could appropriately assess for the doll's eye reflex in a client who is a/an
A) conscious man who has been diagnosed with acute cerebrovascular accident.
B) conscious young woman after an auto accident.
C) unconscious elderly man who has sustained a cervical spine injury.
D) unconscious teenager who has overdosed on drugs.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The doll's eye test should never be performed in comatose clients with suspected or known cervical spine injury because the head movement required may produce permanent spinal cord damage. Since this is a test of brain stem function and is often used to support the suspicion of brain death, there would be no reason to perform it in a conscious person; in addition, conscious people have voluntary control over their eye movements and so the results would be invalid.

A Nurse Could Appropriately Assess for the Doll's Eye Reflex