Question 1

A 2-year-old child has been returned to the nursing unit after an inguinal hernia repair. Which pain assessment tool should the nurse use to assess this child for the presence of pain?

Accepted Answer

A behavioral pain tool should be used when the child is preverbal or doesn't have the language skills to express pain. The FLACC (face, legs, activity, cry, consolability) tool should be used with a 2-year-old child. The FACES, numeric, and Oucher scales are all self-report pain rating tools. Self-report measures are not sufficiently valid for children younger than 3 years of age because many are not able to accurately self-report their pain.

Question 2

Which drug is usually the best choice for patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) for a child in the immediate postoperative period?

Accepted Answer

The most commonly prescribed medications for PCA are morphine, hydromorphone, and fentanyl. Parenteral use of codeine is not recommended. Methadone is not available in parenteral form in the United States. Meperidine is not used for continuous and extended pain relief.

Question 3

A nurse is using the FLACC scale to evaluate pain in a preverbal child. The nurse makes the following assessment: Face: occasional grimace; Leg: relaxed; Activity: squirming, tense; Cry: no cry; Consolability: content, relaxed. The nurse records the FLACC assessment as which number? (Record your answer as a whole number.)

Accepted Answer

2
The FLACC scale is recorded per the following table:
  Because the child has a grimace and is squirming and tense, 2 total points are given. Relaxed legs, no cry, and content and relaxed consolability get 0 points.

Question 4

The nurse is completing a pain assessment on a 4-year-old child. Which of the depicted pain scale tools should the nurse use with a child this age?

Accepted Answer

The pain scale appropriate for a 4-year-old child is the FACES pain scale. Numeric pain scales can be used on children as young as age 5 as long as they can count and have some concept of numbers and their values in relation to other numbers. Word graphic scales and visual analogue scales are used preferably for school-age children.

Question 5

The nurse is caring for a child receiving intravenous (IV) morphine for severe postoperative pain. The nurse observes a slower respiratory rate, and the child cannot be aroused. What is the priority nursing action?

Accepted Answer

The management of opioid-induced respiratory depression includes lowering the rate of infusion and stimulating the child. If the respiratory rate is depressed and the child cannot be aroused, then IV naloxone should be administered. The child will be in pain because of the reversal of the morphine. The morphine should be discontinued, but naloxone is indicated if the child is unresponsive. The child is unresponsive, therefore naloxone is indicated.

Question 6

Fentanyl and midazolam (Versed) are given before débridement of a child's burn wounds. Which is the rationale for administration of these medications?

Accepted Answer

Fentanyl and midazolam provide excellent intravenous sedation and analgesia to control procedural pain in children with burns. These drugs are for sedation and pain control, not healing, preventing infection, or limiting the amount of débridement.

Question 7

A nurse recognizes which physiologic responses as a manifestation of pain in a neonate? (Select all that apply.)

Accepted Answer

The physiologic responses that indicate pain in neonates are increased heart rate, increased blood pressure, rapid, shallow respirations, decreased arterial oxygen saturation (SaO₂), pallor or flushing, diaphoresis, and palmar sweating.

Question 8

Which dietary recommendations should a nurse make to an adolescent patient to manage constipation related to opioid analgesic administration? (Select all that apply.)

Accepted Answer

To manage the side effect of constipation caused by opioids, fluids should be increased, and bran cereal and vegetables are recommended to increase fiber. Prune juice can act as a nonpharmacologic laxative. Fluids should be increased, not decreased, and cheese can cause constipation so it should not be recommended.

Question 9

A patient on an intravenous opioid analgesic has become apneic. The nurse should implement which interventions? Place the interventions in order from the highest priority (first intervention) to the lowest priority (last intervention). Provide your answer using lowercase letters separated by commas (e.g., a, b, c, d). A) Place the patient on continuous pulse oximetry to assess SaO₂. B) Administer the prescribed naloxone (Narcan) dose by slow IV push. C) Ensure oxygen is available. D) Prepare to calm the child as analgesia is reversed.

Accepted Answer

The answer of A patient on an intravenous opioid analgesic...

Question 10

A nurse is gathering a history on a school-age child admitted for a migraine headache. The child states, "I have been getting a migraine every 2 or 3 months for the last year." The nurse documents this as which type of pain?

Accepted Answer

Pain that is episodic and reoccurs is defined as recurrent pain. The time frame within which episodes of pain recur is at least 3 months. Recurrent pain in children includes migraine headache, episodic sickle cell pain, recurrent abdominal pain (RAP), and recurrent limb pain. Acute pain is pain that lasts for less than 3 months. Chronic pain is pain that lasts, on a daily basis, for more than 3 months. Subacute is not a term for documenting type of pain.

Question 11

A nurse is monitoring a patient for side effects associated with opioid analgesics. Which side effects should the nurse expect to monitor for? (Select all that apply.)

Accepted Answer

Side effects of opioids include respiratory depression, pruritus, and sweating. Constipation may occur, not diarrhea, and orthostatic hypotension may occur but not hypertension.

Question 12

Physiologic measurements in children's pain assessment are:

Accepted Answer

Physiologic manifestations of pain may vary considerably, not providing a consistent measure of pain. Heart rate may increase or decrease. The same signs that may suggest fear, anxiety, or anger also indicate pain. In chronic pain, the body adapts, and these signs decrease or stabilize. Physiologic measurements are of limited value and must be viewed in the context of a pain-rating scale, behavioral assessment, and parental report. When the child states that pain exists, it does. That is the truth.

Question 13

Nitrous oxide is being administered to a child with extensive burn injuries. Which is the purpose of this medication?

Accepted Answer

The use of short-acting anesthetic agents, such as propofol and nitrous oxide, has proven beneficial in eliminating procedural pain. Nitrous oxide is an anesthetic agent.

Question 14

Surgery has informed a nurse that the patient returning to the floor after spinal surgery has an opioid epidural catheter for pain management. The nurse should prepare to monitor the patient for which side effects of an opioid epidural catheter? (Select all that apply.)

Accepted Answer

Respiratory depression, nausea, itching, and urinary retention are dose-related side effects from an epidural opioid. Urinary retention, not urinary frequency, would be seen.

Question 15

The nurse is caring for a 6-year-old girl who had surgery 12 hours ago. The child tells the nurse that she does not have pain, but a few minutes later she tells her parents that she does. Which should the nurse consider when interpreting this?

Accepted Answer

Children may deny pain to the nurse because they fear receiving an injectable analgesic or because they believe they deserve to suffer as a punishment for a misdeed. They may refuse to admit pain to a stranger but readily tell a parent. Truthfully reporting pain and inconsistency in pain reporting suggesting that pain is not present are common fallacies about children and pain. Pain is whatever the experiencing person says it is, whenever the person says it exists. Pain would not be questioned in an adult 12 hours after surgery.

Question 16

Nonpharmacologic strategies for pain management:

Accepted Answer

Nonpharmacologic techniques provide coping strategies that may help reduce pain perception, make the pain more tolerable, decrease anxiety, and enhance the effectiveness of analgesics. Nonpharmacologic techniques should be learned before the pain occurs. With severe pain, it is best to use both pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic measures for pain control. The nonpharmacologic strategy should be matched with the child's pain severity and taught to the child before the onset of the painful experience. Some of the techniques may facilitate the child's experience with mild pain, but the child will still know the discomfort was present.

Question 17

A lumbar puncture is needed on a school-age child. What should the nurse apply to provide the most appropriate analgesia during this procedure?

Accepted Answer

EMLA is an effective analgesic agent when applied to the skin 60 minutes before a procedure. It eliminates or reduces the pain from most procedures involving skin puncture. TAC provides skin anesthesia about 15 minutes after application to nonintact skin. The gel can be placed on the wound for suturing. Transdermal fentanyl patches are useful for continuous pain control, not rapid pain control. For maximal effectiveness, EMLA must be applied approximately 60 minutes in advance.

Question 18

A dose of oxycodone (OxyContin) 2 mg/kg has been ordered for a child weighing 33 lb. How many milligrams of OxyContin should the nurse administer? (Record your answer as a whole number.)

Accepted Answer

The answer of A dose of oxycodone (OxyContin) 2 mg/kg...

Quiz 5: Pain Assessment and Management in Children