An older woman had hip replacement surgery 1 day ago,and the nurse thinks that the woman also has dementia.Which patient assessment does the nurse use to determine whether this woman is experiencing pain?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Because this older adult has a potential cognitive impairment and is likely to self-report pain unreliably,the nurse uses additional clinical indicators to detect pain.Muscle rigidity and guarding are clinical indicators of pain for a postoperative older adult,regardless of a cognitive impairment.An individual experiencing pain is unlikely to have stable vital signs.Not verbalizing can indicate a sensory impairment and warrants further investigation by the nurse.Nonetheless,this older adult's verbalizations are potentially unreliable indicators of pain.Older adults move normally during sleep to adjust their position in bed; moving during sleep is not an indicator of pain unless the movements are agitated or restless in nature.

An Older Woman Had Hip Replacement Surgery 1 Day Ago,and