T&C I Pain
A client with appendicitis has had an appendectomy. After surgery, what type of pain does the nurse anticipate the client will have?
Acute pain
A client is being treated in a substance abuse unit of a local hospital. The nurse understands that when this client has compulsive behavior to use a drug for its psychic effect, the client needs to be monitored for which effect?
Addiction
When taking a client history, the nurse notes that the client is taking herbal remedies in addition to acetaminophen. Which herb, when taken in conjunction with acetaminophen, enhances the risk of bleeding?
Ginkgo
The nurse understands that which of the following physiologic changes that influence the pain response occur in the gerontologic population?
Increased sensitivity to medications
The nurse informs the patient that a preventive approach for pain relief will be used, involving nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. What will this mean for the patient?
The pain medication will be administered before the pain is experienced.
The nurse has assessed a client's pain subsequent to a broken ankle. How would the nurse categorize and document the client's pain?
Acute
Prior to starting a peripheral intravenous line on a patient, what intervention can the nurse provide to decrease the pain from the needle puncture?
Apply eutectic mixture of local anesthetic cream 30 minutes prior to the procedure.
A client has been using NSAIDs daily over an extended period. Which of the following effects should the nurse carefully monitor for in this client?
Gastrointestinal bleeding
A client reports abdominal pain as "8" on a pain intensity scale of 0-10 thirty minutes after receiving an opioid intravenously. Her past medical history includes partial-thickness burns to approximately 60% of her body several years ago. The nurse assesses
That the client's past experiences with pain may influence her perception of current pain
The nurse is assisting the anesthesiologist with the insertion of an epidural catheter and the administration of an epidural opioid for pain control. What adverse effect of epidural opioids should the nurse monitor for?
bradypnea
A teenage client is undergoing a dressing change to burns on the thigh. The client refuses pain medication and states, "I do not hurt, and I don't need it." He is withdrawn, grimaces, and turns away during the dressing change. He was last medicated 8 hours ago. What is the best statement by the nurse?
"I saw you grimacing during the dressing change. Please explain the reason you refused the pain medication."
A client is prescribed morphine for a possible ankle fracture. When the nurse brings in a second dose of the medication, the client states, "This medicine made me sick." The nurse replies
"What do you mean by the word sick?"
The nurse is to administer meperidine 75 mg intramuscularly to a client. The medication is supplied in an ampule of 50 mg/mL. How many milliliters should the nurse administer to the client? Enter the correct number ONLY.
1.5
About which issue should the nurse inform clients who use pain medications on a regular basis?
Inform the primary health care provider about the use of salicylates before any procedure, and avoid over-the-counter analgesics consistently without consulting a physician.
Opioid analgesics are effective pain management tools for many clients. A significant portion of a nurse's practice is older adults who suffer from chronic pain. What impact does a client's age have on initial dosing?
Older clients should receive a reduced dose.
A client is scheduled for abdominal surgery and states that he is afraid of postoperative pain. The best nursing action is to inform the client
That medication will be prescribed for pain relief
The nurse, as a member of the patient's health care team, obtains pain assessment information to identify goals for pain management. Select the most important factor that the nurse would use for goal setting:
Severity of the pain as judged by the patient
The nurse is assessing a patient complaining of severe pain. What physiologic indicator does the nurse recognize as significant of acute pain?
Diaphoresis
Which nursing intervention should a nurse perform when caring for a client who is prescribed opiate therapy for pain?
Do not administer if respirations are less than 12 breaths per minute
An older adult is being treated with opioids for pain relief. Which of the following should the nurse strongly recommend to this client?
Follow a bowel regimen.
How should the administration of analgesics be scheduled to provide a uniform level of pain relief to a client?
Administering the analgesics on a regular basis
A client is receiving morphine through a patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) system following surgery. The nurse states to the client
"Only you are to push the button for medication."
A client is receiving morphine sulfate intravenously (IV) every 4 hours as needed for the relief of pain related to a surgical procedure the client had 3 days previously. The physician is discontinuing the IV and will be starting the client on oral pain medication. What would provide the client with optimal pain relief when discontinuing the IV dose?
Administer an equianalgesic dose.
A client with end-stage dementia is admitted to the orthopedic unit after undergoing internal fixation of the right hip. How should the nurse manage the client's postoperative pain?
Administer analgesics around the clock.
The nurse understands that which statement is true about tolerance and addiction?
Although clients may need increasing levels of opioids, they are not addicted.
A client recovering from hip surgery is receiving morphine through a patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) infusion pump with a set basal rate. What action is most important for the nurse to implement?
Assess the client's respiratory status
When taking a client history, the nurse notes that the client has been taking herbal remedies in addition to acetaminophen for several years. Based on the admission history, the nurse understands that the client is experiencing which type of pain?
Chronic pain
Which of the following nursing interventions contributes to achieving a client's goal for pain relief?
Collaborate with the client about his or her goal for a level of pain relief.
When using transdermal Fentanyl, the nurse and patient should be aware of which sign or symptom of Fentanyl overdose?
Confusion
The physician has ordered a mu opioid analgesic for a patient with pain. What drug does the nurse anticipate administering?
Fentanyl
The nurse is administering a narcotic analgesic for the control of a newly postoperative client's pain. What medication will the nurse administer to this client?
Fentanyl (Duragesic)
Which route of administration of medication is preferred in the most acute care situations?
Intravenous
Which phase of pain transmission occurs when the one is made aware of pain?
Perception
Which is a true statement regarding placebos?
Placebos should never be used to test a client's truthfulness about pain.
A client is being taught to self-administer a narcotic analgesic by means of an intravenous PCA pump system. Which of the following would help prevent accidental overdosage?
Programming the dosage and time interval into the device
A nurse documents the presence of chronic pain on an electronic health record. Choose a description that could be used. The pain can be:
Prolonged in duration.
A client sustained severe burns over both lower extremities 1 week ago. The client informs the nurse that he had to wait for 30 minutes last night to receive pain medication, which caused the pain not to be relieved after administration. What suggestions could the nurse make to the physician to provide adequate relief of pain?
Provide the client with a patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) pump.
An elderly client has a fractured hip and is in Buck's traction. The client is disoriented and cannot express herself. At 0730 the client was calm. Now, at 0930, the client is restless and agitated. The nurse reviews the medication administration record. The last dose of opioid was at 0330. The nurse assesses the client's agitation may be from
Recurring pain
A new surgical patient has been prescribed an opioid analgesic intravenously for pain control. The nurse should be aware of which most serious adverse effect of this medication?
Respiratory depression
Which of the following is a reliable source for quantifying pain?
The client's description of the pain
The nurse needs to carefully monitor a client with traumatic injuries. Which action by the nurse demonstrates understanding of the most essential component of the client's pain assessment?
The nurse administers pain medication based on the client's reported pain level.
When completing a teaching plan for a client receiving patient-controlled analgesia (PCA), which component would be important for the nurse to stress?
The pump will deliver a preset amount of medication.
Which of the following is true regarding the use of narcotic analgesics in older adults?
There is an increased potential for falls related to sedation.
The client is postoperative for a total hip arthroplasty and denies pain when asked by the nurse. The client remains still in the bed and refuses to move. She finally reports feeling pressure at the site upon continued questioning by the nurse. The best nursing intervention is to
Use the term "pressure" when asking the client about pain.
According to The Joint Commission's pain assessment and management standards, which of the following are essential components of a comprehensive pain assessment?
location, onset, alleviating factors, and aggravating factors
A client, who had an above the knee amputation of the left leg related to peripheral vascular disease from uncontrolled diabetes, complains of pain in the left lower extremity. What type of pain is the client experiencing?
neuropathic pain
Which phase of pain transmission occurs when the brain experiences pain at a conscious level?
perception
A client has been given a patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) device to control postoperative pain. The client expresses concern about administering too much of the analgesic and accidentally overdosing. What topic should the nurse teach the client about?
the limits on dose and frequency that are programmed into the PCA
When caring for a patient who is deaf, which of the following should be used to elicit information regarding the patient's level of pain?
An outside interpreter should be used.
A client has a long history of diabetes mellitus and developed diabetic neuropathy more than 25 years ago. The client is without breakthrough pain at this point in time. How would this client's pain be classified?
neuropathic and chronic
