Health care professionals are expected to perform a variety of tests and measures to effectively evaluate a patient's condition. The assessment of cranial nerve integrity is an essential component of a comprehensive clinical neurological examination and assessment. Furthermore, it should be equally obvious that the consequences of failing to identify a more serious underlying neurological condition can lead to an inaccurate diagnosis, inappropriate interventions, poor outcomes, delayed treatment, morbidity, and mortality.

In the context of the clinical examination and evaluation of cranial nerve integrity, the patient interview and iterative clinician-patient interactions combined with the tests and measures included in this module would seek to identify an aggregate or cluster of symptoms to be communicated in an appropriate referral or differential diagnosis. These factors will vary based on the scope of practice of the clinician providing care but would seek to adhere to the following guidelines: 1) the use of scientific methods of testing and classification, 2) the use of commonly accepted medical, terminology, 3) the application of mutually exclusive and exhaustive categories of clinical entities, 4) the use of distinct and recognizable clinical presentations, and 5) validation through scientific inquiry.

In terms of the limitations of clinical cranial nerve assessment, findings are often provisional based on factors such as further examination and evaluation, trial interventions, patient outcomes, and diagnostic imaging. Furthermore, clinicians should only use diagnostic labels that they can substantiate directly through domain specific tests and measures or indirectly through interpretation of medical tests, procedures or consultation with other health care professionals. Health care professional should always remember: "You only find what you look for, and you only look for what you know."

Please try the beta version of the new Cranial Nerve Examination and Evaluation Study Guide.