RN Nursing · Health Promotion and Maintenance · Practice question
A school nurse is using Weber's test to check a child's hearing acuity. Which of the following actions should the nurse take?
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✓
Place a vibrating tuning fork on the top of the child's head.
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Hold a vibrating tuning fork 1 to 2 cm (0.4 to 0.8 in) from the child's ears.
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Whisper a statement to the child from 0.6 m (2 feet) away.
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Apply a pair of headphones securely over the child's ears.
Answer & explanation
Correct: Place a vibrating tuning fork on the top of the child's head.
Weber's test is a bedside hearing screening that assesses for lateralization of sound. The nurse strikes a tuning fork and places the base firmly on the midline of the top of the client's head (or forehead or upper teeth). A client with normal hearing perceives the sound equally in both ears with no lateralization. In conductive hearing loss, sound lateralizes to the affected ear; in sensorineural hearing loss, sound lateralizes to the unaffected ear. Holding a vibrating tuning fork 1 to 2 cm from the ears describes the Rinne test setup but not the correct positioning; in the Rinne test, the fork is placed against the mastoid process and then held near the ear canal to compare bone versus air conduction. Whispering from a distance is part of a simple whisper test, which is a gross screening tool and not Weber's test. Applying headphones is used in formal audiometry, not a Weber test. Understanding the distinction between Weber's test and other hearing assessment methods is essential for accurate neurological and sensory assessment in pediatric and adult clients.
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