Nokea
A patient is admitted with a tentative diagnosis of delirium. The patient repeatedly mistakes one of the nursing staff for a family member. The nurse documents that this patient is experiencing a disturbance in which area of functioning?
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: The correct answer is C: Perception. In this scenario, the patient's repeated mistake of identifying a nursing staff as a family member indicates a disturbance in perception, specifically in the recognition and interpretation of sensory information. This confusion is not related to consciousness (A), as the patient is awake and aware. It is also not solely an issue of attention (B), as attention involves the ability to focus on specific stimuli rather than the interpretation of those stimuli. While cognition (D) encompasses various mental processes, such as memory and problem-solving, the primary issue in this case is the misinterpretation of sensory input, aligning with the disturbance in perception.