When the Weber test shows the patient hears sound in the impaired ear, what should be documented?

When the Weber test shows that the patient hears sound in the impaired ear, this typically indicates possible conduction hearing loss. In the context of the Weber test, sound will lateralize to the ear that has a conductive hearing loss because the background noise is diminished in that ear, allowing the patient to hear the tuning fork more clearly.

In cases of sensorineural hearing loss, sound would lateralize to the unaffected ear since the affected ear would struggle to perceive sound effectively. Therefore, here, the documentation of possible conduction hearing loss is appropriate based on the test results showing lateralization to the impaired ear.

While it may be tempting to consider other interpretations, such as indicating lateralization or specifically identifying the type of hearing loss, the most accurate documentation in this scenario is specifically tied to the implications of conductive hearing loss based on how sound is perceived through the Weber test.