Week 4 - Pain Assessment

Question 1

What is the goal of pain assessment?(2)

Answer 1

• describe the patient’s sensory, affective, behavioural, and sociocultural response to pain
• identify the patient’s goal for therapy and resources and strategies for self-management
  think: the more we know the more we can diagnose

Question 2

What is the gold standard of pain assessment?

Answer 2

• the patient’s subjective report of their pain experience

Question 3

What is the primary role of the nurse during a pain assessment?

Answer 3

• to advocate for the patient by accepting their reports of pain and acting quickly to relieve it, while respecting their values and preferences

Question 4

What should you first do in a pain assessment?

Answer 4

• start by asking the patient!

Question 5

OPQRSTUV overview

Answer 5

onset
Provoking/palliative factors
Quality and quantity intensity
Region and radiation
Signs and Symptoms associated
Timing: duration, reoccurrence, pattern
Understanding the cause and impact
Values

Question 6

Assessing intensity diagram

Answer 6

1. Simple descriptive pain intensity scale
2. Numeric pain intensity scale
3. Visual analogue scale (VAS)

Question 7

What is a brief pain inventory?

Answer 7

in the past 24 hours, how has the pain impacted the patient’s general activities, mood, walking ability, work, and sleep

Question 8

Faces are used as a pain assessment tool for pediatric patients. What does FLACC stand for, which is a pain assessment for infants and toddlers?

Answer 8

Facial expression
Leg movement
Activity
Crying
Consolability

Question 9

Is the pain of the older adult occurring often? (4)

Answer 9

• incidence of pain is higher in older adults
• but pain is not the result of aging
• just use tools that are appropriate for the situation
  ex. Pain Assessment Checklist for Seniors with Limited Ability to Communicate (PACSLAC-II), Pain Assessment in Advanced Dementia (PAINAD)

Question 10

Patients with mild to moderate ___ have their own self-reported tools

Answer 10

dementia

Question 11

What are challenges in pain assessment? (8)

Answer 11

• patients who cannot report their pain using a self-assessment tool
• cognitively impaired
• critically ill
• comatose
• imminently dying
• language
• sedated
• too young

Question 12

What should you observe from a patient experiencing pain? (6)

Answer 12

• position of comfort
• guarding area of pain
• facial expression
• movement/gestures
• behaviour
• Vital signs (HR, BP, Pupils)

Question 13

Social determinants of Health-Cultural assessment questions to ask

Answer 13