1. Who is the most reliable source
for information on how much pain a patient is experiencing?
2. What is the preferred method of analgesic
administration in the immediate postoperative period for patients who have
had major surgery?
3. What would you tell a postoperative
patient who does not want to take pain medication because she is afraid
of becoming addicted?
4. A patient who has had abdominal surgery
has been receiving an opiate analgesic for several days. What should be
included in your assessment in order to determine whether peristalsis has
returned?
5. What are some advantages of a PCA pump
for postoperative patients?
Information
about PCA Pumps
6. What is meant by the lockout for a
PCA pump?
7. What are some problems associated with
the PRN or demand system of analgesic administration?
8. A patient who was just talking on the
phone asks for pain medication. She is not grimacing, but states her pain
is a "5." What is the most appropriate nursing action?
9. Why should meperidine be limited in
its use for the elderly?
Information
about meperidine
10. What is the risk of respiratory depression
in administering opiates?
11. Which individuals might be at risk
for respiratory depression following administration of an opiate analgesic?
12. What is the purpose of using a sedation
scale for patients who are receiving opiate analgesics?
13. An elderly postoperative patient who
received morphine 2 mg. IV has been very difficult to arouse, yet his respirations
are 14. His family is asking that he be medicated for pain. What would
you do?
14. A patient received some medication
for pain and says that the medication is not effective. What specific information
would you want to include in your assessment?
15. A patient who had a thoracotomy is
returned to the floor with an epidural catheter in place. He received purified
morphine via the epidural catheter. What are three side effects of morphine
that need to be included in the nurse's assessment?
16. Is it permissible to administer a
pain medication to a postoperative patient that has just been sleeping?
Explain your answer.
17. The family of a very lethargic postoperative
patient has been pushing the button on the PCA pump for the patient. What
would you tell them?
18. A patient does not want to cough and
deep breathe because his incision hurts so much. What is a strategy that
you could employ to facilitate his performance of deep breathing exercises?
19. Which is a better choice for administration
of medication for pain: before or after taking the patient for a walk?
Explain your answer.
19. What is a contraindication for the
use of ketorolac in a patient who has undergone a knee replacement?
20. What are some nonpharmacological strategies
that can be used to enhance pain relief?
21. A patient has been receiving morphine
10 mg. IM q4h for the last 24 hours. The doctor has just added an order
for Tylenol # 3 po q4h. The patient tells you that he much prefers the
shot to the pill. What would you do?
22. Identify a source of standards for
postoperative pain management.
23. What strategies would you employ to
assess pain in someone who had difficulty in communicating?
Problems
in Clinical Management of Pain
Pain
Management for Postoperative Patients Quiz
Copyright 1998 © Margarete Lieb Zalon