Chp 35 PrepU Comfort and Pain management

A nurse attempts to arouse a postoperative client and finds him frequently drowsy and drifting off during conversation; however, he can be aroused. What would be the sedation score for this client?

3

A hospital client's pain is being treated with epidural analgesia. Which nursing action would pose a threat to the client's safety?

Administering an oral dose of morphine to treat the client's breakthrough pain

The nurse is caring for a client who reports pain as 10, on a 0 to 10 scale. After the administration of an opiod anesthesia, the nurse observes the client's respiratory rate decrease to 8 breaths per minute. What is the priority action by the nurse?

Administration of 0.4 mg of naloxone

A nurse observes a client that had a hysterectomy crying hysterically. What type of pain response is this client experiencing?

Affective

A client is postoperative day 1 and the nurse's assessment reveals signs of pain, such as grimacing and guarding. Which is the most reliable method for assessing the client's pain?

Ask the client to describe and rate his or her pain.

A client prescribed pain medication around the clock experiences pain 1 hour before the next dose of the pain medication is due. Which is the most appropriate action by the nurse?

Assess for medication prescription for breakthrough pain.

The nurse is caring for a client who has experienced significant pain following a surgical procedure. Which nursing interventions are appropriate? Select all that apply.

Assess for pain control 30 minutes after administering an analgesic. Consider cultural implications of the perception of pain. Provide pain medication before activity that may increase pain

A nurse giving a client a massage notes the presence of a nonblanching reddened area on the client's sacrum. What is the nurse's best action?

Avoid massaging this area and report the finding to the health care provider.

The nurse is implementing environmental changes to promote a client's comfort and pain management. Which action is an example of this type of intervention?

Closing the client's room door to reduce unnecessary noises

A nurse is conducting discharge teaching for a postoperative client prescribed oral pain medication. The client states that pain medications always causes nausea. What is the appropriate response by the nurse?

Do you take the medication on an empty stomach?"

While providing a back massage, the nurse observes a reddened area on the client's sacral area. Which action by the nurse is appropriate?

Document the finding.

How should the nurse position the head of the bed for a client receiving epidural opioids?

Elevated 30 degrees

The nurse is admitting a dying client with osteosarcoma. Which nursing action is priority?

Examine the effectiveness of the current pain regimen

A postoperative client who has been receiving morphine for pain management is exhibiting a depressed respiratory rate and is not responsive to stimuli. Which drug has the potential to reverse the respiratory-depressant effect of an opioid?

Naloxone

A nurse is giving a client a back massage. Which actions should the nurse perform? Select all that apply.

Observe the client's skin over bony prominences. Warm the lubricant in the palm of the hand. Keep hands in contact with the client's skin at all times.

A 92-year-old woman is on an inpatient unit following hip replacement surgery. The nurse asks her if she is in pain, and she tells the nurse that she is fine. The nurse knows what to be true regarding pain in the older adult? Select all that apply.

Older adults have decreased opioid receptors. Older adults often believe that pain is a consequence of growing older. Older adults are more likely to be disabled by pain than younger adults.

A nurse is caring for a postsurgical client whose pain is being treated with the opioid hydromorphone. The nurse's most recent assessment reveals that the client is drowsy and drifting off during conversation with the nurse; however, the client can be aroused. What is the nurse's most appropriate action?

Report this finding to the primary care provider and seek a decrease in the client's opioid dosing.

Three days after surgery, a client continues to have moderate to severe incisional pain. Based on the gate-control theory, what action should the nurse take?

Reposition the client and gently massage the client's back.

The nurse is caring for a client during the first 12 hours of receiving epidural analgesia and assesses the client every hour. Along with vital signs, which best describes the priority of the hourly assessment?

Respiratory status, oxygen saturation, pain, and sedation level

A nurse is caring for a client who is receiving morphine via a patient controlled analgesia (PCA) pump. When assessing the client, she notes that his respiratory rate is 4. What should the nurse do first?

Stop the PCA pump

An older adult client who is being treated in the hospital was given a hypnotic medication at bedtime. Which of the following possible consequences would indicate a paradoxical effect of this drug?

The client exhibits restless, uncharacteristic behavior after receiving the drug.

A middle-age client with cancer has been prescribed patient-controlled analgesia (PCA). The nurse caring for the client explains the functioning of PCA. What is the main advantage of PCA?

The client is actively involved in pain management.

The nurse is employing gate theory in the care of a client with pain in the lower back. What actions by the nurse may assist in pain relief for the client?

Use massage and heat application to the lower back

The triage nurse is assessing a 5-year-old client who has come to the emergency department with a caregiver after falling off of a skateboard. Which pain assessment tool will the nurse choose to use?

Wong-Baker FACES® scale

When the male client on his first postoperative day after chest surgery appears stoic and does not ask for any pain medication, the nurse should:

actively solicit information about the client's pain level.

A client with chronic pain uses a machine to monitor his physiologic responses to pain. The unit transforms the data into a visual display and through seeing the pain responses, the client is taught to regulate his physiologic response and control pain through relaxation, imagery, or breathing exercises. This technique for pain control is known as:

biofeedback

Charles is an 86-year-old man with chronic lower back pain. He asks you what some appropriate treatments might be for his back pain. Which would you not expect to be ordered as first-line therapy?

A chronic opioid therapy plan

A sudden blow to the head results in pain that is transmitted by which type of fibers?

A-delta

A nurse consults with a nurse practitioner trained to perform acupressure to teach the method to a client being discharged. What process is involved in this pain relief measure?

Cutaneous stimulation

A client reports severe pain following a mastectomy. The nurse would expect to administer what type of pain medication to this client?

Opioid analgesics

A client who is living with chronic pain has received a health care provider's order for TENS. When applying the device to the client's skin, the nurse should do what action?

Start with the lowest intensity and gradually increase it to the appropriate level.

Which statement accurately describes a consideration when using a patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) pump to relieve client pain?

The pump mechanism can be programmed to deliver a specified amount of analgesic within a given time interval.

A postoperative vaginal hysterectomy client complains of pain that is more intense than this morning. This factor should be explained to the client as

"Acute pain tends to increase during the day and is called a routine pain response"

The nurse is performing assessments for clients admitted in the emergency department. Which client is most likely experiencing somatic pain?

A client who has a sprained ankle

Which medical client is most likely to be experiencing diffuse pain?

A client with shingles affecting her entire torso

The nurse is developing a plan of care for a client in acute pain. Which nursing interventions should be included? (Select all that apply.)

Encourage deep breathing. Play the client's favorite music. Promote a restful environment.

A PCA has been ordered for a client who is experiencing significant postoperative pain. To minimize the risk of adverse effects of this therapy, the nurse should perform what action?

Teach the client to perform deep-breathing and coughing exercises.

Which medication would the nurse most likely see on the medication administration record (MAR) of a client with diabetic neuropathy?

gabapentin

A nurse is caring for a client with an amputated limb. The client tells the nurse that he has a burning sensation in his amputated limb. How should the nurse document this pain?

phantom pain

A nurse is caring for a client with cancer who is experiencing pain. What would be the most appropriate assessment of the client's pain?

the client's pain based on a pain rating

A nurse observes that a client who underwent knee surgery 2 weeks ago needs progressively larger doses of analgesics to get relief from pain. The nurse interprets this as:

tolerance

After the nurse has instructed a client with low-back pain about the use of a transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) unit for pain management, the nurse determines that the client has a need for further instruction when the client states what?

"I could use the TENS unit if I feel pain somewhere else on my body."

The nurse is teaching a client how to manage postoperative pain through a patient controlled analgesia (PCA) pump. The nurse determines that additional teaching is needed when the client make which statement?

"I should only take medication when my pain is intense."

The nurse is taking a history for a client who is being seen for chronic unrelieved back pain. Which assessment question helps the nurse assess duration of pain?

"How long have you experienced this pain?"

The nurse is caring for a client whose pain is being treated with epidural analgesia. Which nursing action is most appropriate?

The anesthesiologist/pain management team should be notified immediately if the client's respiratory rate is below 10 breaths/min.

A nurse is caring for a client who received naloxone to reverse respiratory depression due to opioid therapy. The client is now complaining of pain and wishes to receive the newly prescribed pain medication. What is the correct action by the nurse?

Administer the medication if respiratory rate is > 9.

A client is prescribed pain medication every 4 to 6 hours as needed. When the nurse enters the client's room to administer the medication, the client is laughing with visitors. The client's pulse rate is 64, respirations 16, and blood pressure 120/80. The client reports pain and wants the medication. What is the most appropriate action by the nurse?

Administer the pain medication.

What will the nurse place at the bedside of a client receiving epidural analgesia?

Ampule of 0.4 mg naloxone

A nurse is treating a young boy who is in pain but cannot vocalize this pain. What would be the nurse's best intervention in this situation?

Ask the boy to draw a cartoon about the color or shape of his pain.

The nurse is conducting an admission assessment, and asks the client what medication is taken for pain. The client responds, "I take a little white pill to control my pain, but I don't know the name of it," and presents the nurse with a plastic baggie full of white pills. What is the priority nursing intervention?

Ask the client if he or she has the bottle the drug was dispensed in from the pharmacy.

When performing a pain assessment on a client, the nurse observes that the client guards his arm, which was fractured in a car accident, and he refuses to move out of his chair. The nurse notes this reaction as what type of pain response?

Behavioral

A neonatal nurse is caring for a 2-day-old infant who experienced shoulder subluxation during delivery. What pain assessment scale should the nurse use to assess this client's pain?

CRIES Pain Scale

The nurse is taking a history for a pregnant client who has been seen for chronic headaches for 2 years. Today, the client reports a headache that feels different than the normal headaches she has experienced in the past. Which assessment question helps the nurse assess quality of pain?

Can you describe the type of pain you are having?"

A client is experiencing acute pain following the amputation of a limb. What nursing interventions would be most appropriate when treating this client?

Encourage the use of nonpharmacologic complementary therapies as adjuncts to the medical regimen.

While assessing an infant, the nurse notes that the infant displays an occasional grimace and is withdrawn; legs are kicking, body is arched, and the infant is moaning during sleep. When awakened, the infant is inconsolable. Which scale/score should the nurse use while assessing pain in this infant?

FLACC scale

When asking an older adult client about abdominal pain, the client reports, "I don't want to be a bother because nothing hurts too much." The nurse notes that the client grimaces and splints the abdomen when moving. What is the appropriate nursing action?

Gently mention that the client appears to be experiencing pain that can be treated.

When implementing the gate-control theory of pain, which intervention will enhance the closing of the gate to the client's pain?

Give the client a back rub.

The nurse is providing education to a client about the role of endogenous opioids in the transmission of pain. Which information about the release of endogenous opioids is most accurate?

They bind to opioid receptor sites throughout the CNS.

The physician has ordered a patient controlled analgesia (PCA) pump for a client. Which assessment finding would cause the nurse to question the order?

confused to time and place

Endogenous opioids such as endorphins:

contribute to analgesia.

A client reports after a back massage that his lower back pain has decreased from 8 to 3 on the pain scale. Which opioid neuromodulator does the nurse know is released with skin stimulation and is more than likely responsible for this increased level of comfort?

endorphins

Which of the following is considered to be the most potent neuromodulators?

endorphins

A nurse is assessing the pain of a client who has been diagnosed with a sprained ankle. The client describes the pain as aching and is able to identify the pain as occurring in his left ankle. The nurse identifies this as which type of pain?

somatic

A nurse is caring for a client whose injured cells are releasing chemicals such as substance P, prostaglandins, bradykinin, histamine, and glutamate. Which phase of pain is the client experiencing?

transduction

A nurse is caring for a client who complains of an aching pain in the abdomen. The nurse also noted that the client is guarding the area. The client is experiencing:

visceral pain

A client comes to the emergency department complaining of a shooting pain in his chest. When assessing the client's pain, which behavioral response would the nurse expect to find?

guarding of the chest area

Which client statements would indicate to the nurse that the client needs additional teaching regarding prn pain medication and management? Select all that apply.

"I should wait until my pain gets worse before asking for pain medications." "It's better to put up with the pain than deal with side effects of medication." "If I ask for pain medication, I may become addicted." "The nurse will know when my medication is due and will give it to me automatically."

A client receiving epidural analgesia asks the nurse to put the head of the bed all the way down to sleep better. What is the correct response by the nurse?

"It is important that we keep the head of your bed elevated at least 30 degrees because this position helps to minimize the risk of respiratory depression."

The nurse witnesses a caregiver interacting with a client with chronic pain. When helping the client get dressed, the caregiver appears hurried and frustrated, and speaks to the client angrily. What is the appropriate nursing response?

"Let me help you dress the client while we talk about home health resources that can assist when the client goes home."

Two hours after receiving a pain medication, the client reports still suffering from pain. Which question is most appropriate to ask the client?

"Tell me more about your pain."

A client has been prescribed patient-controlled analgesia and the nurse is setting up the system and educating the client about safe and effective use of PCA. Which teaching point should the nurse provide to the client?

"The pump is programmed so that it's not possible for you to overdose on your pain medication."

The young female client had emergency surgery for appendicitis. She is a cigarette smoker, is breast-feeding her infant, and expressed a desire to continue to breast-feed when discharged from the hospital. The surgeon has prescribed acetaminophen/oxycodone for pain relief at home. What instructions would the nurse include when providing discharge teaching? Select all that apply.

-Do not drive a vehicle while taking this medication. -You must check with your primary care provider before breast-feeding your infant. -Keep a diary to record level of pain and time medication is taken.

A client has just been started on opioid analgesia for pain control. The nurse assesses the client's level of sedation using a sedation scale and notes that the client is awake and alert. The nurse would assign which rating?

1

After sedating a client, the nurse assesses that the client is frequently drowsy and drifts off during conversations. What number on the sedation scale would the nurse document for this client?

3

The nurse is caring for client prescribed morphine who is experiencing constipation. What intervention should the nurse recommend to the client? (Select all that apply.)

Increased fluids Increased fiber Stool softner

The nurse that ascribes to the gate control theory of pain would be most likely to prescribe which of the following for the relief of pain? (Select all that apply.)

Heat massage cold

The nurse is assessing a client for the chronology of the pain she is experiencing. Which interview question is considered appropriate to obtain this data?

How does the pain develop and progress?

A nurse administers pain medication to clients on a med-surg ward. The client that would benefit from a p.r.n. drug regimen as an effective method of pain control would be the client:

In the postoperative stage with occasional pain.

A nurse is assessing a client's pain. The nurse notes which database finding that is indicative of acute pain?

increased blood pressure

A nurse is caring for a client who was administered opioid narcotics. The client reports constipation. What is another potential side effect of opioid narcotics?

sedation

The nurse desiring to use laughter as a therapeutic modality for pain should assess for which therapeutic effects?

Decreased levels of epinephrine Increased pain threshold Increased ability to face difficult procedure

The demonstration provided by the nurse is directed at helping the postsurgical client manage what type of pain?

Deep somatic

The nurse is visiting a client at home who is recovering from a bowel resection. The client reports constant pain and discomfort and displays signs of depression. When assessing this client for pain, what should be the nurse's focal point?

reviewing and revising the pain management treatment plan

A client reports pain and requests the prescribed pain medication. When entering the client's room, the client is laughing with visitors and does not appear to be in pain. What is the appropriate action by the nurse?

Administer the pain medication.