RN Exam Practice
Health Promotion and MaintenanceQuestion 952 of 2368

A client who will receive ECT asks about side effects. Which response by the nurse is accurate?

  1. "ECT always causes permanent loss of all of your memories afterward."
  2. "ECT has no effect on your memory or your ability to learn."
  3. "You will stay awake so you can tell us how you feel during it."
  4. "You may have short-term memory loss, which usually improves within a couple of months."
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Correct answer: "You may have short-term memory loss, which usually improves within a couple of months."

ECT can cause short-term memory loss and trouble learning, and memory problems improve within a couple of months in most cases. The client is under anesthesia.

Source: Nursing Health Promotion (Open RN, Chippewa Valley Technical College, 2025), Mental Health Conditions: Medical Procedures. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.

Practice the topic "Health Promotion and Maintenance"

Questions last reviewed: 18 October 2026