Exam 15: Pain Assessment and Basic Comfort Measures

The patient had knee replacement surgery and has a local infusion pump to provide a local anesthetic to the surgical site.The patient puts on the call light and complains that pain at the site is more intense than it has ever been and is getting worse.The nurse checks the site and finds that the dressing is damp but intact.The infusion pump is pumping, and there is medication in the bag.The most probable cause of the problem might be the:

When evaluating the effects of PCA, the nurse notes that the patient is sedated and is difficult to arouse.What step should the nurse take next?

The patient has morphine sulfate ordered for pain every 4 hours "prn." The patient complains of severe pain and usually requests more morphine an hour before it is due.The nurse should: (Select all that apply.)

Pain is experienced differently by different people, because pain perception is based on which of the following? (Select all that apply.)

Drugs administered in the epidural space spread by: (Select all that apply.)

The application of touch and movement to muscles, tendons, and ligaments without manipulation of the joints is called _________________.

The patient's family is concerned that the patient may get too much pain medication after surgery and become addicted to the medication if he is placed on a PCA pump.They also voice concern about the effectiveness of the PCA.The nurse should instruct the family and the patient that:

The patient states that the PCA is not controlling his pain.The nurse checks the infusion setup and IV site and then evaluates the patient's ability to use the system.All looks in order.The nurse should notify the physician to: (Select all that apply.)

The nurse knows that an advantage of intraspinal analgesia is the:

________________ is a method of preventing pain while reducing overall opioid use.

When assessing a local infusion pump site, the nurse notes that which of the following requires an intervention?

___________ has an identifiable cause and rapid onset and generally disappears with healing.

The patient is admitted for chronic pain.He states that morphine sulfate (Morphine) has been used to relieve his pain, but recently he has been needing to use more of the medication to relieve pain.This patient's plan of care will have to incorporate interventions to deal with which of the following?

While reviewing a patient's medication history, the nurse determines that intraspinal analgesia is contraindicated as a result of:

A nonpharmacological approach that the nurse may implement for patients who are experiencing pain that focuses on diverting the patient's attention away from the pain sensation by promoting pleasurable and meaningful stimuli is:

The nurse is preparing to administer a bolus of epidural medication.The nurse must remember to:

The patient is unable to rest even after pain medication has been administered.The nurse decides to give the patient a backrub.Which of the following strokes should the nurse use when finishing the backrub?

The _______________ is a potential space between the vertebral bones and the dura mater, the outermost meninges covering the brain and spinal cord.

A nurse is evaluating the epidural catheter insertion site and suspects that the intraspinal catheter has punctured the dura when _____ noted.

The nurse frequently must assess a patient who is experiencing pain.When assessing the intensity of the pain, the nurse should: