The patient is brought to the emergency department with possible injury to the left shoulder. Which area will the nurse assess to best determine joint mobility?

A) The patient's gait
B) The patient's range of motion
C) The patient's ethnic influences
D) The patient's fine-motor coordination

Assessing range of motion is one assessment technique used to determine the degree of joint mobility and injury to a joint. Gait is the manner or style of walking. It has little bearing on the shoulder damage. Assessing fine-motor coordination would be beneficial in helping to assess the patient's ability to perform tasks such as feeding and dressing but would not help in evaluating the shoulder. Ethnic influences would not have a direct bearing on the amount of mobility in the joint.