During a reassessment, which action is appropriate when a patient is drowsy and slightly confused?

Performing a Mini-Mental State Examination is the most appropriate action when encountering a patient who is drowsy and slightly confused during a reassessment. This examination is specifically designed to assess various cognitive functions including memory, attention, and reasoning, which are crucial to determine the extent of the patient's confusion and cognitive state.

By conducting this assessment, healthcare providers can gain valuable insights into the patient's mental status, thereby guiding further evaluation and treatment responses. It helps in identifying possible underlying issues causing the confusion and drowsiness, such as medication effects, metabolic disturbances, or neurological conditions.

The other choices would not provide the necessary cognitive evaluation and may not address the immediate need to understand the reason behind the patient's altered mental status. Completing a full physical exam might be overly comprehensive without first evaluating cognitive function where issues lie, notifying the family without further assessment could lead to unnecessary alarm, and documenting only vital signs would neglect the non-physical aspects of the patient's condition that need attention.