NURS (FUNDAMENTAL): NCLEX COMFORT AND PAIN MANAGEMENT EXAM
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A nurse instructor is teaching a class of student nurses about the nature of pain. Which
statements accurately describe this phenomenon? Select all that apply.
a) Pain is whatever the physician treating the pain says it is.
b) Pain exists whenever the person experiencing it says it exists.
c) Pain is an emotional and sensory reaction to tissue damage.
d) Pain is a simple, universal, and easy-to-describe phenomenon.
e) Pain that occurs without a known cause is psychological in nature.
f) Pain is classified by duration, location, source, transmission, and etiology. - correct
answer-b, c, f
The classic definition of pain that is probably of greatest benefit to nurses and their
patients: "Pain is whatever the experiencing person says it is, existing whenever he (or she)
says it does." The International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) further defines pain
as an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential
tissue damage (IASP, 1994). Pain is an elusive and complex phenomenon, and despite its
universality, its exact nature remains a mystery. Pain is present whenever a person says it
is, even when no specific cause of the pain can be found. Pain may be classified according
to its duration, its location or source, its mode of transmission, or its etiology.
One of the most common distinctions of pain is whether it is acute or chronic. Which
examples describe chronic pain? Select all that apply.
a) A patient is receiving chemotherapy for bladder cancer.
b) An adolescent is admitted to the hospital for an appendectomy.
c) A patient is experiencing a ruptured aneurysm.
d) A patient who has fibromyalgia requests pain medication.
e) A patient has back pain related to an accident that occurred last year.
f) A patient is experiencing pain from second-degree burns. - correct answer-a, d, e
Chronic pain is pain that may be limited, intermittent, or persistent but that lasts beyond
the normal healing period. Examples are cancer pain, fibromyalgia pain, and back pain.
Acute pain is generally rapid in onset and varies in intensity from mild to severe, as occurs
with an emergency appendectomy, a ruptured aneurysm, and pain from burns.
,A patient complains of abdominal pain that is difficult to localize. The nurse documents
this as which type of pain?
a) Cutaneous
b) Visceral
c) Superficial
d) Somatic - correct answer-b) Visceral
The patient's pain would be categorized as visceral pain, which is poorly localized and can
originate in body organs in the abdomen. Cutaneous pain (superficial pain) usually involves
the skin or subcutaneous tissue. A paper cut that produces sharp pain with a burning
sensation is an example of cutaneous pain. Deep somatic pain is diffuse or scattered and
originates in tendons, ligaments, bones, blood vessels, and nerves. Strong pressure on a
bone or damage to tissue that occurs with a sprain causes deep somatic pain.
A female patient who is having a myocardial infarction complains of pain that is situated in
her jaw. The nurse documents this as what type of pain?
a) Transient pain
b) Superficial pain
c) Phantom pain
d) Referred pain - correct answer-d) Referred pain
Referred pain is perceived in an area distant from its point of origin, whereas transient pain
is brief and passes quickly. Superficial pain originates in the skin or subcutaneous tissue.
Phantom pain may occur in a person who has had a body part amputated, either surgically
or traumatically.
The three types of responses to pain are physiologic, behavioral, and affective. Which are
examples of behavioral responses to pain? Select all that apply.
a) A patient cradles a wrist that was injured in a car accident.
b) A child is moaning and crying due to a stomachache.
c) A patient's pulse is increased following a myocardial infarction.
d) A patient in pain strikes out at a nurse who attempts to bathe him.
e) A patient who has chronic cancer pain is depressed and withdrawn.
f) A child pulls away from a nurse trying to give him an injection. - correct answer-a, b, f
, Protecting or guarding a painful area, moaning and crying, and moving away from painful
stimuli are behavioral responses. Examples of a physiologic or involuntary response would
be increased blood pressure or dilation of the pupils. Affective responses, such as anger,
withdrawal, and depression, are psychological in nature.
An elderly patient is confined to bedrest following cervical spine surgery to treat nerve
pinching. The nurse is vigilant about turning the patient and assessing the patient regularly
to prevent the formation of pressure ulcers. What type of agent is the stimulus for pressure
ulcers?
a) Mechanical
b) Thermal
c) Chemical
d) Electrical - correct answer-a) Mechanical
Receptors in the skin and superficial organs may be stimulated by mechanical, thermal,
chemical, and electrical agents. Friction from bed linens causing pressure sores and
pressure from a cast are mechanical stimulants. Sunburn is a thermal stimulant. An acid
burn is the result of a chemical stimulant. The jolt from a lightning bolt is an electrical
stimulant.
A nurse uses a whirlpool to relax a patient following intense physical therapy to restore
movement in her legs. What is a potent pain-blocking neuromodulator, released through
relaxation techniques?
a) Prostaglandins
b) Substance P
c) Endorphins
d) Serotonin - correct answer-c) Endorphins
Endorphins are produced at neural synapses at various points along the CNS pathway.
They are powerful pain-blocking chemicals that have prolonged analgesic effects and
produce euphoria. It is thought that endorphins are released through pain relief measures,
such as relaxation techniques. Prostaglandins, substance P, and serotonin (a hormone that
can act to stimulate smooth muscles, inhibit gastric secretion, and produce
vasoconstriction) are neurotransmitters or substances that either excite or inhibit target
nerve cells.
|LATES UPLOAD |GRADED A+
A nurse instructor is teaching a class of student nurses about the nature of pain. Which
statements accurately describe this phenomenon? Select all that apply.
a) Pain is whatever the physician treating the pain says it is.
b) Pain exists whenever the person experiencing it says it exists.
c) Pain is an emotional and sensory reaction to tissue damage.
d) Pain is a simple, universal, and easy-to-describe phenomenon.
e) Pain that occurs without a known cause is psychological in nature.
f) Pain is classified by duration, location, source, transmission, and etiology. - correct
answer-b, c, f
The classic definition of pain that is probably of greatest benefit to nurses and their
patients: "Pain is whatever the experiencing person says it is, existing whenever he (or she)
says it does." The International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) further defines pain
as an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential
tissue damage (IASP, 1994). Pain is an elusive and complex phenomenon, and despite its
universality, its exact nature remains a mystery. Pain is present whenever a person says it
is, even when no specific cause of the pain can be found. Pain may be classified according
to its duration, its location or source, its mode of transmission, or its etiology.
One of the most common distinctions of pain is whether it is acute or chronic. Which
examples describe chronic pain? Select all that apply.
a) A patient is receiving chemotherapy for bladder cancer.
b) An adolescent is admitted to the hospital for an appendectomy.
c) A patient is experiencing a ruptured aneurysm.
d) A patient who has fibromyalgia requests pain medication.
e) A patient has back pain related to an accident that occurred last year.
f) A patient is experiencing pain from second-degree burns. - correct answer-a, d, e
Chronic pain is pain that may be limited, intermittent, or persistent but that lasts beyond
the normal healing period. Examples are cancer pain, fibromyalgia pain, and back pain.
Acute pain is generally rapid in onset and varies in intensity from mild to severe, as occurs
with an emergency appendectomy, a ruptured aneurysm, and pain from burns.
,A patient complains of abdominal pain that is difficult to localize. The nurse documents
this as which type of pain?
a) Cutaneous
b) Visceral
c) Superficial
d) Somatic - correct answer-b) Visceral
The patient's pain would be categorized as visceral pain, which is poorly localized and can
originate in body organs in the abdomen. Cutaneous pain (superficial pain) usually involves
the skin or subcutaneous tissue. A paper cut that produces sharp pain with a burning
sensation is an example of cutaneous pain. Deep somatic pain is diffuse or scattered and
originates in tendons, ligaments, bones, blood vessels, and nerves. Strong pressure on a
bone or damage to tissue that occurs with a sprain causes deep somatic pain.
A female patient who is having a myocardial infarction complains of pain that is situated in
her jaw. The nurse documents this as what type of pain?
a) Transient pain
b) Superficial pain
c) Phantom pain
d) Referred pain - correct answer-d) Referred pain
Referred pain is perceived in an area distant from its point of origin, whereas transient pain
is brief and passes quickly. Superficial pain originates in the skin or subcutaneous tissue.
Phantom pain may occur in a person who has had a body part amputated, either surgically
or traumatically.
The three types of responses to pain are physiologic, behavioral, and affective. Which are
examples of behavioral responses to pain? Select all that apply.
a) A patient cradles a wrist that was injured in a car accident.
b) A child is moaning and crying due to a stomachache.
c) A patient's pulse is increased following a myocardial infarction.
d) A patient in pain strikes out at a nurse who attempts to bathe him.
e) A patient who has chronic cancer pain is depressed and withdrawn.
f) A child pulls away from a nurse trying to give him an injection. - correct answer-a, b, f
, Protecting or guarding a painful area, moaning and crying, and moving away from painful
stimuli are behavioral responses. Examples of a physiologic or involuntary response would
be increased blood pressure or dilation of the pupils. Affective responses, such as anger,
withdrawal, and depression, are psychological in nature.
An elderly patient is confined to bedrest following cervical spine surgery to treat nerve
pinching. The nurse is vigilant about turning the patient and assessing the patient regularly
to prevent the formation of pressure ulcers. What type of agent is the stimulus for pressure
ulcers?
a) Mechanical
b) Thermal
c) Chemical
d) Electrical - correct answer-a) Mechanical
Receptors in the skin and superficial organs may be stimulated by mechanical, thermal,
chemical, and electrical agents. Friction from bed linens causing pressure sores and
pressure from a cast are mechanical stimulants. Sunburn is a thermal stimulant. An acid
burn is the result of a chemical stimulant. The jolt from a lightning bolt is an electrical
stimulant.
A nurse uses a whirlpool to relax a patient following intense physical therapy to restore
movement in her legs. What is a potent pain-blocking neuromodulator, released through
relaxation techniques?
a) Prostaglandins
b) Substance P
c) Endorphins
d) Serotonin - correct answer-c) Endorphins
Endorphins are produced at neural synapses at various points along the CNS pathway.
They are powerful pain-blocking chemicals that have prolonged analgesic effects and
produce euphoria. It is thought that endorphins are released through pain relief measures,
such as relaxation techniques. Prostaglandins, substance P, and serotonin (a hormone that
can act to stimulate smooth muscles, inhibit gastric secretion, and produce
vasoconstriction) are neurotransmitters or substances that either excite or inhibit target
nerve cells.
