A smiling and cooperative patient complains of severe pain.Nurses caring for patients who report pain need to recognize and avoid common misconceptions and myths about pain.To properly care for patients in pain,nurses need to remember which of the following?
A) Chronic pain is psychological in nature.
B) Patients are the best authority of their pain experience.
C) Regular use of narcotic analgesics leads to drug addiction.
D) The amount of tissue damage is reflected in the severity of the pain perceived.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Chronic pain is prolonged,varies in intensity,and usually lasts longer (typically at least 6 months)than is typically expected or predicted.It does not always have an identifiable cause and leads to great personal suffering.Examples of chronic noncancer pain include arthritis,low back pain,myofascial pain,headache,and peripheral neuropathy.Health care providers are usually less willing to treat chronic pain with opioids,although a policy statement supports the use of opioids for it.Common biases and misconceptions about pain include administering analgesics regularly leads to patients' tolerance and drug dependence.Another common misconception is that the amount of tissue damage in an injury accurately indicates pain intensity.Nurses need to discourage patients from having multiple health care providers for treating pain and refer them to specialists.Pain centers use nonpharmacological and pharmacological strategies for a holistic approach to pain management.

A Smiling and Cooperative Patient Complains of Severe Pain