A patient is admitted to the hospital for abdominal surgery. On return to the nu
ID: 121876 • Letter: A
Question
A patient is admitted to the hospital for abdominal surgery. On return to the nursing unit, the patient is complaining of severe abdominal pain and requesting pain medication for relief.
1. What type of questions should the nurse ask to evaluate and assess the patient’s current pain response?
2. What physical examination findings would indicate an increase in current pain level?
3. How would you differentiate between the characteristics of acute versus chronic pain?
4. Considering that this patient just had abdominal surgery, how can you explain his pain response taking into consideration the function of the nociceptive receptors?
Explanation / Answer
1. ANS: The following questions might be helpful to evaluate and assess the patients current pain response.
A. Location of pain
B. Severity of pain
C. Present illness and past illness
D. Food history
E. Asking the patient to describe the pain.
2. ANS: Physical examinations that indicate an increase in current pain level:
A. Presence of redness and swelling (inflammation)
B. Presence of any pus and bleeding
3. ANS: The characteristics of acute versus chronic pain:
A. Acute pain: It is generally sharp and more intense than chronic pain. It occurs suddenly and indicates threat to the body. The causes of an acute pain generally include surgery, burns, child birth, dental problems, physical injury etc.
B. Chronic pain: It is generally present even after the injury heals. Persistent pain may cause the patient to become weak and depressed with tense muscles and limited mobility.
4. ANS: As the patient has recently undergone surgery, pain receptors and responses remain highly active, which is actually a protective mechanism. Any increase in pain intensity only remains us to be more cautious towards the occurrence of infections or any other abnormality with the systems.
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