A nurse is developing a care plan where she needs to determine whether a client is experiencing anxiety or fear.What key point would help the nurse make this decision?

A) Anxiety is a milder form of fear.
B) Fear results in only a physiologic response.
C) The source of fear is identifiable.
D) Anxiety is generally based in reality,fear is not.

The key point that would help the nurse differentiate between anxiety and fear is that the source of fear is identifiable, while anxiety is often more vague in its origin. Fear typically results from a known or recognizable threat, whereas anxiety can be more general and undefined. Therefore, if the nurse can identify a specific source of the client's distress, it is more likely to be fear than anxiety.