What is being assessed when a nurse practitioner instructs an 80-year-old woman to recall the words "orange," "house," and "world"?

The assessment being conducted involves the Mini Mental Status Exam (MMSE), which is a tool used to evaluate cognitive function and screen for cognitive impairment, particularly in older adults. Asking a patient to recall a specific set of words is a common task within this exam that assesses memory, language, and verbal skills. In this case, instructing the woman to recall the words "orange," "house," and "world" evaluates her immediate recall ability, which is an important component of cognitive functioning.

The Mini Mental Status Exam is particularly useful in assessing potential conditions such as dementia or other neurological issues, making it a standard method for initial cognitive evaluation in clinical practice. The prompts used in the MMSE are designed to be simple and straightforward, allowing healthcare providers to gauge a patient’s memory and cognitive capabilities easily.

The other options, while relevant to different types of assessments, do not pertain to this specific method of evaluating cognitive function. For instance, the Lachman test is used to assess knee stability, the Romberg test evaluates proprioception and balance, and a broader neurologic exam encompasses a range of assessments that go beyond just cognitive recall. In summary, the recall task directly aligns with the objectives of the Mini Mental Status Exam, confirming it as the correct