A patient presents with unilateral ear pain and nasal congestion. What should the nurse practitioner expect to find on the tuning fork test?

In evaluating a patient with unilateral ear pain and nasal congestion, it’s important to consider the implications of the tuning fork test, particularly the Weber test. When the Weber test shows lateralization to one side, it suggests a conductive hearing loss in the ear to which the sound lateralizes, or a sensorineural hearing loss in the opposite ear.

In this clinical scenario, the patient's symptoms of ear pain and nasal congestion could suggest a condition such as otitis media or Eustachian tube dysfunction. These conditions are commonly associated with conductive hearing loss. If the Weber test indicates the sound is heard louder in the affected ear (the ear with the symptoms), it supports the diagnosis of conductive hearing loss on that side.

Therefore, if the Weber test lateralizes to the left, this suggests there is likely some level of conductive issue or obstruction affecting the left ear, which correlates with the unilateral ear pain. Understanding this helps differentiate the type of hearing loss present in the patient, guiding appropriate management for their condition.