The Nurse Is Assessing a Patient Who States She Has

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.