What it means
In a mental status exam, judgment is the client's ability to weigh choices and their results and act sensibly, often tested by asking what they would do in an everyday situation ("What would you do if you smelled smoke at home?"). It can be impaired by dementia, delirium, psychosis, mania, intoxication or brain injury. For nurses, clinical judgmentKLIN-ih-kul JUJ-mentThe way a nurse notices, makes sense of and acts on information about a client to decide on the best care.Full entry is the separate, professional skill of making decisions about client care.
For the nurse
A client with poor judgment may not be safe to make some decisions or to go home alone; report concerns and involve the team and family as appropriate.
At a glance
| Spanish | juicio |
|---|---|
| Also written | judgement, judgments |
Related terms
mental status
A person's state of mind at a given time: how alert they are, what they know and how they think, speak and behave.
clinical judgment
The way a nurse notices, makes sense of and acts on information about a client to decide on the best care.
cognitive impairment
Trouble with thinking, memory, learning, attention or making decisions that is more than expected for the person's age.
critical thinking
Careful, reasoned thinking that questions information and weighs evidence before reaching a conclusion.