What describes oral prompts used to guide patient actions?

• A. Direct Contact
• B. Verbal Cues
• C. ADL
• D. Cognitive Ability

Answer: (B)

Verbal cues are spoken prompts used to guide a patient through a task without doing the task for them. They function as reminders, hints, or stepwise directions that help the person initiate, sequence, or continue an activity, promoting independence while maintaining safety. This is exactly what oral prompts do—they verbally guide the patient’s actions.

Direct contact would involve physically assisting or moving the patient, which is not described by oral prompts. ADL refers to the tasks themselves, not how they’re prompted. Cognitive ability describes mental capacity, not a prompting method. So verbal cues best capture the concept of oral prompts used to guide actions.