Author Question: The nurse is assessing how a patient's pain is affecting mobility. Which assessment question is most ... (Read 88 times)

imanialler · **on:** Jul 23, 2018

The nurse is assessing how a patient's pain is affecting mobility. Which assessment question is most appropriate?

a. Have you considered working with a physical therapist?
b. What activities, if any, has your pain prevented you from doing?
c. Would you please rate your pain on a scale from 1 to 10 for me?
d. What effect does your pain medication typically have on your pain?

Question 2

Which statement made by a nursing educator best explains why it is important for nurses to determine a patient's medical history and recent drug use?

a. Health care providers have a responsibility to prevent drug seekers from gaining access to drugs.
b. This information is useful in determining what type of pain interventions will most likely be effective in providing pain relief.
c. Some recreational drugs have pharmaceutical counterparts that may be more effective in managing pain.
d. Getting this information gives the nurse an opportunity to provide patient teaching about drug abstinence.

xMRAZ · **Reply #1 on:** Jul 23, 2018

Answer to Question 1

ANS: B
Because the nurse is interested in knowing whether the patient's pain is affecting mobility, the priority assessment question is to ask the patient how the pain affects his or her ability to participate in normal activities of daily living. Although a physical therapist is a good resource to have, especially if pain is severely affecting mobility, considering working with a physical therapist does not describe the effect of pain on the patient's mobility. Assessing quality of pain and effectiveness of pain medication does not help the nurse to understand how it is affecting the patient's mobility.

Answer to Question 2

ANS: B
In providing effective pain management, it is important to understand the patient's history, what drugs the patient has already tried, and what interventions work best or have negative actions. It is not the nurse's responsibility to judge or question a patient's pain or label her as a drug seeker. Nurses need to avoid labeling patients as drug seekers because this term is poorly defined and creates bias and prejudice among other health care providers. Although certain recreational drugs do have pharmaceutical counterparts, this is not the sole purpose of assessing drug use. The nurse needs more information beyond a patient's medical and medication history to determine whether a patient needs teaching about drug abstinence.