Practice Question
During an examination of a client, the nurse performs the whisper test. Which instruction should the nurse provide to the client?
Answer Choices:
Correct Answer:
"Cover one ear, I will stand 2 feet behind you, then repeat the whispered word after I state the word."
Rationale:
🔷 The whisper test evaluates high-frequency hearing and screens for high-tone hearing loss in each ear separately.
🔷 The nurse stands about 2 feet (0.6 m) behind the client to reduce visual cues and prevent the client from lip-reading.
🔷 Having the client cover one ear isolates the uncovered ear, allowing accurate assessment of that ear’s hearing ability.
🔷 The nurse whispers letters, numbers, or simple words and asks the client to repeat the words, assessing how well the sound is perceived.
🔷 This option correctly includes distance, position (behind), and instruction that align with standard whisper test technique.
"Cover one ear, I will stand 5 feet behind you, then repeat the whispered word after I state the word."
🔷 Standing 5 feet behind the client places the nurse too far away for a consistent and reliable whispered voice intensity.
🔷 At this distance, even clients with normal hearing may struggle to hear the whisper, risking false-positive results for hearing loss.
🔷 The whisper test depends on a controlled, standardized distance, typically about 1–2 feet, for accuracy.
🔷 Although the position behind and covering one ear are correct, the distance is not consistent with recommended practice.
🔷 Therefore, this instruction does not meet best-practice standards for the whisper test.
"Cover one ear, I will stand 2 feet in front of you, then repeat the whispered word after I state the word."
🔷 Standing in front of the client allows them to see the nurse’s lips, which can lead to lip-reading and falsely normal test results.
🔷 The purpose of the whisper test is to evaluate auditory perception, not the ability to interpret visual speech cues.
🔷 Even though the distance (2 feet) is appropriate, the position (in front) undermines the test’s validity.
🔷 Clients may appear to hear well because they are visually compensating, masking true hearing impairment.
🔷 For these reasons, this instruction is not appropriate for a proper whisper test.
"Cover one ear, I will stand 5 feet in front of you, then repeat the whispered word after I state the word."
🔷 This option combines incorrect distance and incorrect positioning, making the whisper test highly unreliable.
🔷 At 5 feet, the whisper may be inaudible even to those with normal hearing, increasing the risk of overestimating hearing loss.
🔷 Standing in front permits lip-reading, which can distort the assessment by allowing visual compensation.
🔷 Accurate whisper testing requires minimizing visual cues and using a standardized short distance behind the client.
🔷 Because it fails to meet both distance and position requirements, this is not an acceptable technique.
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This question is from NR302 QUIZ 5B RODGERS 15428 ATL SEPT25 -CHAMBERLAIN UNIVERSITY (EXAMPLIFY) which contains 11 questions.
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From Exam
NR302 QUIZ 5B RODGERS 15428 ATL SEPT25 -CHAMBERLAIN UNIVERSITY (EXAMPLIFY)
11 Questions
View Full Exam Start PracticingQuestion Details
- Category: RN Nursing Exam(s)
- Subcategory: Examplify Exam(s)
- Domain: Health Assessment
- Answer Choices: 4