AWC NUR 121: Exam 2 (A+ Graded Already)

Pain 1. Discuss common misconceptions about pain. correct answers 1. Patients who abuse substances overreact to discomforts. 2. Patients with minor illnesses have less pain than those with severe physical alteration. 3. Administering analgesics regularly leads to drug addiction. 4. The amount of tissue damage in an injury accurately indicates pain intensity. 5. Health care personnel are the best authorities on the nature of a patient's pain. 6. Psychogenic pain is not real. 7. Patients who are hospitalized experience pain. 8. Patients who cannot speak up do not feel pain. Pain 2. Identify components of the pain experience. correct answers Transduction: converts energy produced by stimuli (thermal, chemical, mechanical) into electrical energy, it begins at the periphery (i.e. hot surface) and sends an impulse across a sensory peripheral pain nerve fiber initiating an action potential. Transmission:(see pg 1015 of Fundamentals textbook). Perception: the point at which the person is aware of pain. Modulation: the brain produces neurotransmitters that act as analgesics and help to hinder the transmission of pain. Pain 3. Describe the components of pain assessment. correct answers Determine the patient's perspective of pain, including history of pain, its meaning, and its physical, emotional, social effects. Obtain the patient's description of the characteristics of the pain. Use pain scales that are valid and reliable for the specific patient population. Review potential factors affecting the patient's pain (e.g. time since surgery or injury, patient's position in bed). Identify medical comorbidities (ex: diabetes, cancer) Pain 4. Perform assessment on patient experiencing pain. correct answers See above. Use also PQRST technique. P: What precipitates pain? What makes it better or worse? Q: what is the quality of pain: sharp, stabbing, burning, aching, pressure? R: where is region of pain? does it radiate? S: on a scale of 1-10, what is pain level? T: what tasks does the pain interfere with? (ADLs)? Pain 5. Discuss pharmacological and alternative interventions for pain. correct answers Pharmacological interventions include analgesic, antiinflammatories, opioids, and adjuvants or co-analgesics (enhance analgesics or have analgesic properties) etc. Alternative interventions include relaxation, guided imagery, music, distraction, cutaneous stimulation (TENS), hot and cold therapy, acupressure, herbal supplements. Pain 6. Evaluate a patient's response to pain interventions. correct answers Evaluate patients' perception of the effectiveness of the interventions. The family can be a valuable resource particularly if the patient is not able to express discomfort. The intervention should be viewed positively if the patient states they feel an improvement in how they feel during self care activities or activities such as physical therapy. Ask the patient about their tolerance to therapy and the overall relief obtained. If patients state that an intervention is not helpful or aggravates the discomfort, then stop the intervention immediately and find an alternative. Pain 7. Discuss cultural and ethnic consideration for patients experiencing pain. correct answers Cultural beliefs and values affect how individuals cope with pain. They learn what is expected