Fundamentals Nursing Prep U Chapter 34 Comfort and Pain Management

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

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

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 identifies the pain described by a client whose back discomfort began after an automobile accident and has persisted for 8 months as:

chronic

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

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 nurse assessing the periodicity of a client's pain should ask which question?

"How long does the pain last?"

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 their post-operative pain through a Patient Controlled Analgesia (PCA) pump. The nurse determines that additional teaching is needed when the client states which of the following?

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

A nurse is evaluating the effectiveness of the preoperative education regarding pain control. Which statement by the client would indicate a need for further education?

"I will have my wife push the PCA button when I'm asleep."

While caring for a client with chronic pain, the nurse talks with a family member. Which family member statement does the nurse identify as consistent with caregiver role strain?

"Sometimes it seems like I can never get a moment to myself."

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

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

A client is ordered 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 states that they are in pain and wants the medication. What is the most appropriate action by the nurse?

Administer the pain medication

A client states that he is pain and requests the ordered 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.

The nurse manager hears a nurse and a nurse aide talking about a female client who reports pain of 8 out of 10 on a 1-10 after a Caesarean birth to deliver twins. The nurse states, "I don't believe this client has any pain at all. I'm sure she is just drug seeking." What is the appropriate nurse manager action?

Ask the nurse to speak privately for a moment, and educate about bias in pain treatment.

When performing an assessment on a client with chronic pain, the nurse notes that the client frequently shifts conversational topics. What does the nurse determines that this may be an indicator of?

Anxiety

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.

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

Assess for medication order for breakthrough pain.

In preparing a care plan for a client receiving opioid analgesics, the nurse selects which of the following as an applicable nursing diagnosis associated with side effects of opioid use?

Constipation

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 in pain believes that their pain is a punishment from God, and feels angry and resentful. Which of the following is the most appropriate action by the nurse?

Encourage client to confer with a spiritual advisor.

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.

A client reports after a back massage that his lower back pain has decreased from 8 to 3 on the pain scale. What 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

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

How does the pain develop and progress?

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

Increased blood pressure

The nurse recognizes which of the following statements is true of chronic pain?

It may cause depression in clients

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

The nurse preparing to admit a client receiving epidural opioids should make sure that which of the following medications is readily available on the unit?

Narcan

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

Opioid analgesics

Which principle should the nurse integrate into the pain assessment and pain management of pediatric clients?

Pain assessment may require multiple methods in order to ensure accurate pain data.

Which guideline regarding pain should be included in the nurse's education plan for a group of parents with infants and toddlers?

Pain can be a source of fear and threat to the toddler's security.

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 client has an order for a narcotic analgesic every 3 to 4 hours and he received his last dose 3 hours earlier. Which action is most appropriate for the nurse to take in response to the client's request for pain medication on his first postoperative day?

Provide the client with pain medication.

Which of the following is the priority assessment for a nurse caring for a client with a Patient Controlled Analgesia (PCA) pump?

Respiratory

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

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 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.

A client has been admitted to a post-surgical unit with a patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) system. Which statement is true of this medication delivery system?

The dose that is delivered when the client activates the machine is preset.

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. What kind of pain is the client experiencing?

Visceral pain

A nurse implements cutaneous stimulation for a client as part of a strategy for pain relief. Which nursing action exemplifies the use of this technique?

The nurse gives the client a massage before bed.

Which statements 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.

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.

A male college student age 20 years has been experiencing increasingly sharp pain in the right, lower quadrant of his abdomen over the last 12 hours. A visit to the emergency department and subsequent diagnostic testing have resulted in a diagnosis of appendicitis. What category of pain is the client most likely experiencing?

Visceral pain

A client asks the nurse which vitamins should be taken daily for feelings of fatigue, anxiety, and depression 1 week before menses. Which of the following is the correct response by the nurse?

Vitamin B6

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

The action of ibuprofen is to:

have an anti-prostaglandin effect on the CNS.

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 client describes pain in the lower leg and has been diagnosed with a herniated lumbar disk. The pain in the leg is what type of pain?

referred 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

Besides controlling pain of the post-abdominal surgery client with narcotics, the nurse suggests to the client that he:

use distraction

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.

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.

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 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 softener

A nurse is performing pain assessments on clients in a physician's office. Which clients would the nurse document as having acute pain? Select all that apply.

• a client who is having a myocardial infarction • A client who presents with the signs and symptoms of appendicitis • A client who fell and broke an ankle