Question 1

A nurse is providing community education on the increase in heroin use. Which information would be included?

Accepted Answer

Heroin is classified as an opioid and a narcotic drug. It depresses the central nervous system, unlike CNS agitation. Heroin is derived from morphine but is not the same, and it is considered very dangerous, often more so than oxycodone.

Question 2

The nurse provides care for several patients. For which patient would the nurse assess acetaminophen (Tylenol) to be contraindicated?

Accepted Answer

Acetaminophen is contraindicated in patients who consume large amounts of alcohol due to the increased risk of liver damage.

Question 3

The patient comes to the emergency department with a head injury, broken ribs, and internal bleeding. Opioid analgesics are contraindicated. What does the nurse recognize as the primary rationale for this?

Accepted Answer

Opioids can mask changes in the patient's level of consciousness, which is critical to monitor in a patient with a head injury.

Question 4

The postsurgical patient has an order for morphine 2 mg IV push every 2 hours and propoxyphene 100 (Darvon 100) every 3 hours. He received the morphine 2 hours ago and is complaining of pain again. What will the best plan of the nurse include?

Accepted Answer

The answer of The postsurgical patient has an order for...

Question 5

The nursing instructor teaches the nursing students about neural mechanisms of pain. What does the nursing instructor teach about substance P?

Accepted Answer

The answer of The nursing instructor teaches the nursing students...

Question 6

The nurse teaches patients about nonpharmacological techniques for pain management. The nurse determines learning has occurred when the patients make which statement(s)?

Accepted Answer

The answer of The nurse teaches patients about nonpharmacological techniques...

Question 7

Which finding is an adverse effect associated with morphine and would be the priority if present?

Accepted Answer

Respiratory depression is a serious and potentially life-threatening adverse effect of morphine, making it the priority concern.

Question 8

The patient is to start on sumatriptan (Imitrex) for migraine headaches. What will the best plan of the nurse include as it relates to this medication?

Accepted Answer

The answer of The patient is to start on sumatriptan...

Question 9

The nurse educator is reviewing the process of pain transmission. Students should place these steps in which sequence? 
A) Substance P continues pain message.
B) A and C fibers transmit the pain signal.
C) Nociceptors are stimulated.
D) Pain impulses reach the spinal cord.
E) Pain impulses reach the brain.
Standard Text: Click and drag the options below to move them up or down.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The nurse educator is reviewing the process...

Question 10

A patient complains of dull, aching pain in the lower back. The nurse plans to provide relief from which kind of pain?

Accepted Answer

Visceral pain is often described as dull and aching and is associated with internal organs, which aligns with the patient's complaint of dull, aching pain in the lower back.

Question 11

What is a priority assessment question to ask a postsurgical patient prior to administration of an opioid analgesic?

Accepted Answer

Assessing the patient's pain level using a scale helps determine the necessity and appropriate dosage of the opioid analgesic, ensuring effective pain management and minimizing the risk of overmedication.

Question 12

What is an important instruction for the nurse to give to the patient who is taking acetaminophen (Tylenol)?

Accepted Answer

Acetaminophen (Tylenol) can cause drowsiness.

Question 13

The patient has a patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) pump following surgery. The nurse keeps naloxone (Narcan) in the patient's room as per protocol. What does the nurse recognize as the rationale for this protocol?

Accepted Answer

Naloxone (Narcan) is an opioid antagonist used to reverse the effects of opioids, such as in cases of overdose, which can occur with PCA pumps.

Question 14

A patient brought to the emergency department for oxycodone overdose has a respiratory rate of 8 and is difficult to arouse. What is the priority nursing intervention?

Accepted Answer

The priority intervention for an opioid overdose with respiratory depression is to administer an opioid antagonist, such as naloxone, to reverse the effects of the opioid.

Question 15

The patient receives morphine for pain. Which comment by the patient does the nurse assess to be a side effect of morphine?

Accepted Answer

Nausea and vomiting are common side effects of morphine.

Question 16

Identify the correct statement regarding opioid receptors.

Accepted Answer

Opioid agonists primarily activate mu and kappa receptors, which are responsible for producing analgesic effects.

Question 17

A patient, addicted to heroin, is being treated for opioid dependence. He has been prescribed methadone (Dolophine). The patient asks how this will help because methadone (Dolophine) is another opioid. What is the best response by the nurse?

Accepted Answer

Methadone is used in opioid dependence treatment because it reduces withdrawal symptoms and cravings without causing the euphoria associated with heroin, helping patients to stabilize and eventually reduce their dependence.

Question 18

Identify the correct statement regarding the neural mechanism of pain.

Accepted Answer

Alpha fibers are myelinated, which allows for faster transmission of nerve impulses, while C fibers are unmyelinated and transmit impulses more slowly.

Question 19

The patient receives aspirin. The nurse assesses an adverse effect to this drug when the patient makes which response?

Accepted Answer

Aspirin can cause gastrointestinal bleeding, which may result in dark, tarry stools.

Question 20

The patient receives morphine for pain. He asks the nurse how it works to relieve pain. What is the best response by the nurse?

Accepted Answer

Morphine works by interacting with opioid receptors in the central nervous system, which leads to analgesia, or pain relief.

Quiz 18: Drugs for the Control of Pain