PrepU Acute & chronic pain

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 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?"

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 client reports chest pain. The nurse uses which of the following questions to assess the pain further. Select all answers that apply.

"How long have you experienced this pain?" "Please point to where you are experiencing pain." "Rate the pain on a scale of 0 to 10, with 10 being the worst possible pain." "What aggravates your chest pain?"

A nurse has entered a client's room at the beginning of a shift to quickly assess the client's airway, breathing, circulation, and consciousness. The nurse observes that the client is wincing, stating, " Oh, I am in so much pain right now." What initial question should the nurse ask this client?

"Where exactly are you hurting?"

A client comes back to the clinic with a continued complaint of back pain. What time frame does the nurse understand constitutes "chronic pain"?

3 months

The following nursing diagnoses are formulated with a client: constipation, acute pain, and caregiver role strain. During the planning phase of the nursing process, the nurse will prioritize the diagnoses in what order?

Acute pain, constipation, caregiver role strain

A 7-year-old boy tells the nurse that his head sometimes hurts after he eats ice cream. The nurse recognizes that this type of pain is:

Acute referred pain

The client is scheduled to receive dressing changes and warm soaks twice a day for an abscess to the lower extremity. The incoming nurse receives in the handoff report that the client has not been tolerating the dressing changes or warm soaks well due to acute pain. What action should the nurse take to promote client comfort and increase the effectiveness of the treatments?

Administer analgesics 30 minutes prior to the treatment to act on pain receptors.

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.

A nurse is working with a 15-year-old client with sickle cell anemia. The client was started on a new pain management plan today, and the nurse is evaluating the effectiveness of the plan. Which is not appropriate to include in the nursing care?

Asking only the client's parents to be present at the education session

Staff at the care facility note that a woman has started complaining of back pain in recent weeks and occasionally groans in pain. She has many comorbidities that require several prescription medications. The nurse knows that which factor is likely to complicate the clinician's assessment and treatment of the client's pain?

Assessment and treatment are possibly complicated by the large number of drugs that the client receives.

When a nurse asks a patient to describe the quality of the pain, what type of descriptive term does the nurse expect the patient to use?

Burning

A nurse practitioner examines a patient suspected of having endometriosis. The nurse knows that although a definitive diagnosis could not be made without diagnostic treatment (transvaginal ultrasound), the most frequent symptom is:

Chronic pelvic 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.

Which of the following nursing interventions contributes to achieving a client's pain relief?

Collaborate with the client about the goal of a level of pain relief.

The nurse is caring for a client with several fractures that have been immobilized. Which assessment finding would be most indicative of a potential complication?

Deep, severe, unrelenting pain

According to the Joint Commission, which of the following is a focus of assessment related to quality of pain?

Description in the client's own words

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

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 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.

The nurse is caring for a postoperative client who reports ineffective pain management with pain rated a 7 on a 0-10 rating scale. Based on the information provided by the client, which step should the nurse take first to modify the care plan?

Evaluate the use of current pain relief measures.

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

Examine the effectiveness of the current pain regimen

A 20-year-old man has presented to the emergency department with a 24-hour history of abdominal pain. The nurse who is admitting the patient notes that he is diaphoretic, wincing, and guarding the lower right quadrant of his abdomen. The nurse asks the patient to rate his pain on a scale of 1 to 10, to which the patient responds, "One or two." How should the nurse best respond to this patient's statement?

Explain the 0-to-10 pain scale in greater detail.

A nurse, who is caring for a client admitted to the patient care unit with acute abdominal pain, formulates the care plan for the client. Which nursing diagnosis is the priority for this client?

Impaired Comfort

Which of the following is the hallmark symptom for peripheral arterial disease (PAD) in the lower extremity?

Intermittent claudication

The nurse recognizes which statement is true of chronic pain?

It may cause depression in clients.

A client experiencing phantom limb pain after a traumatic amputation finds that opioids, biofeedback, a transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation unit, and relaxation therapy are all needed to reduce the pain to a tolerable level. Which pain theory is best supported by this event?

Neuromatrix

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 nursing action will assist in pain management for a client in the postoperative phase?

Relaxation techniques

A 5-year-old child is diagnosed with acute otitis media. Which nursing intervention would be priority?

Relieving the child's pain

A nurse is assessing a client for the classic signs of acute inflammation. The nurse would assess the client for:

Rubor, swelling, and pain

The nursing student has just reviewed material in the course textbook regarding pancreatitis. The student knows that a major symptom of pancreatitis that causes the client to seek medical care is:

Severe abdominal pain

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

A client diagnosed with giant cell arteritis will likely experience pain located in which region of the head?

Temporal

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

Which of the following is the only reliable source for quantifying pain?

The client

A client has constant pain and peripheral neuropathy following chemotherapy for cancer. The nurse assesses the following behavior as a common characteristic of a person with a chronic illness:

The client stops taking some medications due to side effects that are disturbing to the client.

A female client with a long and complex history of chronic pain has begun a program of biofeedback with an advanced practice nurse. Together, the nurse and the client would identify what goal of this program?

The client will learn to alter her physiological responses to her pain.

Which of the following is a reliable source for quantifying pain?

The client's description of the pain

A graduate nurse and the nurse's preceptor are establishing priorities for their morning assessments. Which client should they assess first?

The newly admitted client with acute abdominal 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.

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.

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.

When diagnostic testing reveals a bone fracture, what type of pain is the client experiencing?

acute somatic pain

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 is caring for a client who had a below-the-knee amputation of the left leg 8 months ago. The client is reporting left foot pain of 7 on a 1-to-10 scale. The pain began earlier today. How will the nurse document this type of pain? Select all that apply.

neuropathic acute

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

A client with a superficial partial-thickness solar burn (sunburn) of the chest, back, face, and arms is seen in urgent care. The nurse's primary concern should be:

pain management.

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

What are some negative effects that chronic pain can have on the pediatric population?

sleep disturbances, exhaustion, irritability, mood disturbances, and depression

A young child is in the emergency department with swelling and pain in the right ankle. The client states that while playing soccer, she somehow twisted her ankle and could not walk off the field. The health care provider tells the client that it is a sprain. Which type of pain is this client experiencing?

somatic

The parents of a school-age child with a brain tumor have elected to have only comfort measures instituted for their dying child. The child has been experiencing significant discomfort and has been receiving pain medication. A nurse knows that the pain-management principle most effective in controlling the child's pain is:

striving to prevent pain by routine administration of pain medication.

A client is admitted with generalized abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and hypotension. The client has not passed stool in over 1 week and has been in pain for the past 4 days. Which type of pain would you expect the client to be experiencing?

visceral

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

Which assessment does the nurse recognize is consistent with signs and symptoms of acute pancreatitis?

Periumbilical pain

Which client is displaying manifestations of having a kidney stone?

Acute onset of colicky flank pain radiating to lower abdomen

A client fell from a ladder and broke his ankle and is being seen in the emergency department for severe ankle pain with swelling and limited range of motion. What type of pain does the nurse recognize the client is experiencing?

Acute 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

Acute pain can be distinguished from chronic pain by assessing which characteristic?

Acute pain is specific and localized.

The nurse is caring for a child with burns in a pediatric hospital. What would be an appropriate nursing diagnosis for this client?

Acute pain related to thermal injuries and procedures

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.

A client with sickle cell crisis is admitted to the hospital in severe pain. While caring for the client during the crisis, which is the priority nursing intervention?

Administering and evaluating the effectiveness of opioid analgesics

For which older adult client would pain assessment likely be most challenging for the nurse?

An 87-year-old client with vascular dementia and numerous other health problems, such as heart failure

The nurse is assessing a client's level of pain. How is the pain best described?

An unpleasant sensation of physical hurt or discomfort that can be caused by disease, injury, or surgery.

The client is scheduled for surgery. The nurse is reviewing with the client about postoperative pain management. The client states her goal after receiving treatment is "0." The first action of the nurse is to

Educate the client that this goal may not be achievable.

When drafting a nursing care plan for a patient in pain, it is important for the nurse to determine if the pain is acute or chronic. Choose the best example of chronic pain.

Intervertebral disk herniation

A patient is being seen in the ER following a motor vehicle accident (MVA). He is having severe back pain. The preferred route of administration of medication in the most acute care situations is which of the following routes?

Intravenous

A nurse on a postsurgical unit is providing care for a 76-year-old female client who is two days post-hemiarthroplasty (hip replacement) and who states that her pain has been out of control for the last several hours, though she is not exhibiting signs of pain. Which guideline should the nurse use for short-term and long-term treatment of the client's pain?

Knowing that the client's self-report of pain is the most reliable indicator of pain

A high school football player hurts his foot while playing a game. The client complains of intense pain with muscle spasms and swelling of the toe. Which pain assessment tool will the nurse most likely use to assess the client's pain level?

Numeric Rating Scale (NRS)

The nurse is completing the care plan for a pediatric client with deep partial-thickness or second-degree burns on the back and legs. Debridement of the burns is performed 2 to 3 times per week. What nursing diagnosis has the highest priority in regard to this treatment modality?

Pain

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.

A client seeks care for lower back pain of 2 weeks' duration. Which assessment finding suggests a herniated intervertebral disk?

Pain radiating down the posterior thigh

A male client is given regular doses of morphine for a period of 6 months. His dosage now needs to be reduced gradually. The health care provider advises the nurse to pay attention to the clinical management of the client's pain to allow proper agonist coverage during the change in drug dosage. Why is the client likely to suffer unnecessary pain and discomfort if proper management is not ensured?

Physical dependence on the drug

Which of the following presents with an onset of heel pain with the first steps of the morning?

Plantar fasciitis

While assessing an older adult, the client reports pain resulting from shingles. The nurse identifies this as which type of pain?

Postherpetic neuralgia

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 reports chronic pain. Assessment indicates it is located at the T6 dermatome. How will this information assist the nurse to develop an effective plan of care?

Treatment can be tailored to the specific location.

A 5-year-old arrives at the emergency department and reports abdominal pain. After performing an assessment and laboratory work, the health care provider diagnoses appendicitis. The nurse knows that this child is experiencing which type of pain?

Visceral

A client is admitted to the acute care facility with severe pain in the abdomen related to inflammatory bowel disease. What type of pain will the nurse be administering medication to relieve?

Visceral pain

A nurse is caring for a client diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Diagnostic testing reveals that the cancer has spread outside the pelvis. The client has previously undergone a right oophorectomy and received chemotherapy. The client now wants palliative care instead of aggressive therapy. The nurse determines that the care plan's priority nursing diagnosis should be:

acute pain.