Deck 7: Assessing Pain

Question 1

The nurse is assessing an alert patient who just had surgery several hours ago. He is awake and complaining of pain. What is the nurse's next action?

A) Ask the patient what pain medication he prefers.
B) Assess the patient's self-report of pain.
C) Administer pain medication as ordered.
D) Use distraction therapy to alleviate pain.

Answer 1

Assess the patient's self-report of pain.

Question 2

The nurse is admitting a patient who states that she has been experiencing achy pain in her lower back for the past 6 months. Which term does the nurse use to describe this pain?

A) Acute
B) Chronic
C) Intractable
D) Intermittent

Answer 2

Chronic

Question 3

A diabetic patient states the pain "feels like needles and stings my feet. I also have numbness and tingling sensations." The nurse would describe this as:

A) Neuropathic pain.
B) Somatic pain.
C) Visceral pain.
D) Colicky pain.

Answer 3

Neuropathic pain.

Question 4

Which question or statement will provide the nurse with the most information about the patient's pain?

A) "Are you in pain?"
B) "Have you ever had pain?"
C) "What is your level of pain on the numerical scale?"
D) "Describe the pain you are experiencing."

Question 5

Pain impulses are initiated by activation of free nerve endings. These free nerve endings are pain receptors called:

A) Gelatinosa cells.
B) A-delta fibers.
C) Nociceptors.
D) Pain stimulus.

Question 6

A patient fell off a ladder while painting his ceiling and hurt his lower back. He is now complaining of a burning, aching pain that is shooting down his leg. The nurse documents this as which type of pain?

A) Phantom limb syndrome
B) Psychogenic pain
C) Radiating pain
D) Referred pain

Question 7

Which culture is unlikely to display pain and/or physical discomfort?

A) Amish culture
B) Jewish culture
C) Puerto Rican culture
D) Chinese Americans

Question 8

Which pain scale would be most appropriate to use for a patient who is unable to communicate pain?

A) PAINAD assessment
B) Wong-Baker scale
C) Numerical scale
D) Verbal descriptor scale

Question 9

The patient's family reports to the staff nurse that the patient is having a lot of pain. What is the nurse's best action?

A) Medicate the patient for pain per the physician's order.
B) Go to the patient's room and assess the patient's pain.
C) Access the electronic medical record and determine when the patient last had pain medication.
D) Tell the family you will reevaluate the patient when pain medications are due.

Question 10

A mother of a 4-year-old boy brings her son to the pediatrician's office with stomach pain. Which pain scale would be best to use on an alert 4-year-old child?

A) PAINAD assessment
B) Wong-Baker scale
C) Numerical scale
D) Verbal descriptor scale

Question 11

You are caring for a patient who is a nonverbal critically ill adult. What is the best pain rating scale to assess pain?

A) PAINAD assessment
B) Wong-Baker scale
C) Numerical scale
D) Nonverbal descriptor scale

Question 12

What are the two physiological processes that the pain experience involves?

A) Interpretation and response
B) Location and damage
C) Detection and location
D) Detection and interpretation

Question 13

The nurse understands the gate control theory of pain management when which statement is made?

A) "The pain medications close the gate and block the pain perception."
B) "The pain impulses can be influenced by many factors, including a person's emotions."
C) "The gate blocks the transmission of all pain receptors."
D) "This theory is still in the developmental stages at the time."

Question 14

A 7-year-old child fractured his left leg riding his bicycle. The nurse uses the Wong-Baker scale to assess the child's pain. The child points to the face that has a 10 rating. The nurse knows that a 10 rating based on the Wong-Baker scale would indicate what type of pain?

A) Minimal to none
B) A little bit to minimal
C) Hurts a lot
D) Hurts the worst

Question 15

The nurse is assessing a patient who states she has a pain level of "8." The patient is laughing and talking on the phone. What should the nurse do next?

A) Reassess the level of pain to obtain a pain score that matches the patient's actions.
B) Do nothing as this is an acceptable level of pain for this patient.
C) Medicate the patient per health-care provider orders, if time appropriate.
D) Notify the health-care provider of the patient's pain level.

Question 16

What does the abbreviation OPQRST mean?

A) Onset, pain, quality, relieving, starting, treatment
B) Original, particular, qualify, resting, standing, total
C) Onset, provocation, quality, radiation, severity, timing
D) Onset, pulsing, quota, realization, sensorium, temperature

Question 17

Which question would you ask a patient to assess the "P" (provocation of pain) in the OPQRST method of pain assessment?"

A) "What causes the pain?"
B) "What does the pain feel like?"
C) "What symptoms do you have with the pain?"
D) "Where do you feel the pain?"

Question 18

Which statement is true regarding pain assessments?

A) Only one type of pain assessment is best to use with the patient to prevent confusion.
B) The patient's self-report of pain is the only valid pain assessment.
C) Combining pain assessment validations is more reliable than just using one type of assessment.
D) Teaching the nurse one pain scale to care for patients is the most essential.

Question 19

The ____________________ of the brain interprets the sensation of pain.

A) thalamus
B) cortex
C) pituitary
D) cerebellum

Question 20

The patient was in a motor vehicle accident and suffered trauma to his back and legs. He had extensive injuries to his legs and has nerve damage. What type of pain is caused by injury or damage to the nerves?

A) Cutaneous
B) Somatic
C) Visceral
D) Neuropathic

Question 21

Which are factors that can affect the pain experience? Select all that apply.

A) Age of patient
B) Gender
C) Cultural background
D) Birth order
E) Previous pain experience

Question 22

You are starting the health history on a patient who states he has right hip pain. Which are examples of nonverbal body language indicative of pain that you may observe during the interview? Select all that apply.

A) Rating pain a 7 out of 10
B) Facial grimacing
C) Moaning
D) Protective guarding
E) Rapid breathing

Question 23

Which of the following physical changes would the nurse find on assessment in an adult with chronic pain? Select all that apply.

A) Dilated pupils
B) Increased restlessness
C) Absence of nausea
D) Dry skin
E) Increased pulse rate

Question 24

The American Society for Pain Management addresses populations that may not be able to self-report pain. Which of the following populations do they address? Select all that apply.

A) Unconscious patients
B) Patients at end of life
C) Patients receiving opioid medications
D) Patients with visual deficits
E) Older adults

Question 25

Which are considered emotional effects of chronic pain? Select all that apply.

A) Inability to work
B) Anger
C) Anxiety
D) Disability
E) Depression

Question 26

The patient has chronic pain from rheumatoid arthritis. Which are functional effects of chronic pain? Select all that apply.

A) Inability to work
B) Anger
C) Inability to perform activities of daily living (ADLs)
D) Disability
E) Anxiety

Question 27

The patient has sharp and localized somatic pain. This type of pain most often originates in which of the following? Select all that apply.

A) Lungs
B) Organs
C) Muscle
D) Joints
E) Bones

Question 28

You are using the PAINAD assessment to assess pain in a dementia patient. What will you be assessing using this scale? Select all that apply.

A) Body language
B) Temperature
C) Breathing
D) Negative vocalizations
E) Facial expression
F) Consolability

Question 29

Phantom limb pain (PLP) is a poorly understood type of ____________________ pain that is felt in a body part that has been removed.

Question 30

There are two main types of nerve fibers that transport the pain signals to the central nervous system. Pain fibers travel slowly through the nervous system. The ________ pain fibers initiate a pain sensation that will feel diffuse, dull, burning, or achy.