b.8.Describe how you would respond to a patient
who tells you the following about his/her
pain experience.
a.“I know you’ll know when I’m in pain and
will do something to relieve it.”b.“If I ask for something for pain, I’m afraid
I may become addicted.”c. “It’s natural to have pain when you get
older. It’s just something I’ve learned to
live with.”9.Give an example of an interview question
you could use to assess a patient for the
following characteristics of pain.
a.Duration of pain:b.Quantity and intensity of pain:c. Quality of pain:d.Physiologic indicators of pain:10.State your opinion of the use of placebos to
satisfy a person’s demand for a drug. Is lying
to the patient ever justifiable? How could this
action affect the nurse–patient relationship?
What, if anything, would you say to a physi-
cian who prescribed a placebo for your
patient?11.How would you modify your means of assess-
ing for pain in the following patients?
a.A patient with a cognitive impairment:b.A 5-year-old patient:c. An older patient:APPLYING YOUR KNOWLEDGE
CRITICAL THINKING QUESTIONS
1.Think back to the last time you experienced
acute pain (e.g., a toothache, headache, back-
ache). If you were at work, were you able to
concentrate on anything but the pain? How
did the people around you respond to your
pain? What measures did you take to relieve
the pain, and how successful were they?
Interview several patients who are experienc-
ing acute pain. How are they coping psycho-
logically and physically with the pain? What
comfort measures work best for them? How
has medication helped to control their pain?
How can you use this knowledge to improve
your care?
2.Find a tool to assess pain. Be sure it includes
physical assessment, pain scales, location and
duration of the pain, coping measures, pain
management, and the effect of pain on daily
living. Use this tool to assess the pain of indi-
viduals with similar problems (e.g., migraine,
cramps, arthritis) and look for factors to
explain their different experiences.
3.You notice a young woman who is experienc-
ing intense pain. When you ask the nurses
about this patient, they tell you she is in end-
stage cancer and has received all the pain
medication she has been prescribed. They
could not administer more medication with-
out a doctor’s order. How would you react to
this patient? What would you do to provide
alternative comfort measures? Would you be
an advocate for this patient and attempt to
have more medication prescribed? How
might who you are and your competence in
pain management affect this woman’s last
days?230 UNIT VII PROMOTING HEALTHY PHYSIOLOGIC RESPONSES
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