NUR 355 – Exam 2 Study Guide | Questions and Answers | 2026 Update | 100% Correct - Arizona
College.
Pain & Inflammation (Module 3)
General Pain Principles
1. Pain is considered which vital sign?
Answer: The 5th vital sign
2. How should nonopioid analgesics and NSAIDs be scheduled for pain control?
Answer: On a standing (scheduled) basis rather than PRN
3. Is pain a normal part of aging?
Answer: No
4. Which tool is used to assess pain in patients with advanced dementia?
Answer: PAINAD (Pain Assessment in Advanced Dementia)
5. Which cognitive and mood tools may be used in older adults with pain?
Answer: MMSE and Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS)
6. Which opioids are preferred in older adults with kidney or liver impairment?
Answer: Hydromorphone and fentanyl
7. Which opioid should be avoided in older adults due to toxic metabolites?
Answer: Meperidine (normeperidine)
8. What nonpharmacologic therapies are recommended for cognitively impaired adults?
Answer: Physical activity and cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)
9. Which behavior may indicate pain in a cognitively impaired patient?
Answer: Refusing food
Focused Pain Assessment
10. What does pain “location” assessment involve?
Answer: Using anatomical landmarks and having the patient point to the pain
11. What does pain “quality” describe?
Answer: How the pain feels (sharp, dull, burning, stabbing)
12. Which tools assess pain intensity?
Answer: Numeric rating scale and visual analog scale
13. What does pain “timing” assess?
Answer: Onset, duration, and frequency
, 14. What does the “setting” of pain assess?
Answer: Impact on activities of daily living (ADLs)
15. What are associated manifestations of pain?
Answer: Fatigue, depression, nausea, anxiety
16. Why is joint pain and mobility monitored?
Answer: To evaluate treatment effectiveness and disease progression
17. What does an increase in temperature indicate?
Answer: Infection
Types of Pain
18. What defines acute pain?
Answer: Short duration pain related to tissue injury that resolves with healing
19. What defines chronic pain?
Answer: Pain lasting longer than 3–6 months
20. What is nociceptive pain?
Answer: Pain from tissue damage or inflammation (normal pain processing)
21. Which type of nociceptive pain involves skin and superficial tissues?
Answer: Cutaneous pain
22. Which nociceptive pain affects bones, joints, and muscles?
Answer: Somatic pain
23. Which nociceptive pain originates in organs and causes referred pain?
Answer: Visceral pain
24. What causes referred pain?
Answer: Convergence of visceral and somatic nerve fibers at the spinal cord
25. What is neuropathic pain?
Answer: Pain caused by abnormal or damaged nerves
26. Which type of pain is the most difficult to manage?
Answer: Neuropathic pain
27. Which medications treat neuropathic pain?
Answer: Antidepressants, antispasmodics, skeletal muscle relaxants
Pain Management
28. Do analgesics alter the disease process?
Answer: No
, 29. How do glucocorticoids reduce pain?
Answer: By suppressing inflammation
30. Why should corticosteroids not be combined with NSAIDs?
Answer: Increased risk of GI bleeding
31. Why should patients help set pain goals?
Answer: To improve comfort and functional outcomes
32. When should patients be premedicated for pain?
Answer: Before painful procedures
33. What are the three categories of nonopioid analgesics?
Answer: Salicylates, acetaminophen, NSAIDs
34. What atypical analgesic is an alpha-2 adrenergic agonist?
Answer: Clonidine
35. Which antidepressants are preferred in older adults?
Answer: Nortriptyline and desipramine
36. Which medication blocks NMDA receptors?
Answer: Ketamine
37. Which medication is a GABA agonist used for spasticity?
Answer: Baclofen
38. Which anticonvulsants treat neuropathic pain?
Answer: Phenytoin, carbamazepine, lamotrigine
WHO Pain Principles
39. Preferred route for mild–moderate pain?
Answer: Oral
40. Should analgesics be given PRN or scheduled?
Answer: Scheduled
41. Primary goal of pain management?
Answer: Improve functional quality of life
42. Which opioid receptor causes respiratory depression and decreased GI motility?
Answer: Mu receptor
Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA)
43. What type of disease is RA?
Answer: Chronic systemic autoimmune inflammatory disease
, 44. Which joints are commonly affected in RA?
Answer: MCPs, PIPs, wrists
45. What causes joint deformity in RA?
Answer: Chronic synovitis
46. What lab tests help confirm RA?
Answer: RF, anti-CCP, ESR, CRP
47. What imaging detects early synovitis?
Answer: Ultrasound or MRI
48. What drugs are used when RA does not respond to NSAIDs?
Answer: DMARDs
49. Which DMARD is first-line?
Answer: Methotrexate
Osteoarthritis (OA)
50. Is OA immune-mediated?
Answer: No
51. What joints are commonly affected in OA?
Answer: Weight-bearing joints (hips, knees)
52. How long does morning stiffness last in OA?
Answer: Less than 30 minutes
Gout
53. What causes gout?
Answer: Deposition of monosodium urate crystals
54. Common site of first gout attack?
Answer: Great toe (podagra)
55. Which medication should be avoided in gout?
Answer: Aspirin
56. What foods increase uric acid levels?
Answer: Meat, seafood, alcohol
Lupus (SLE)
57. What type of disease is SLE?
Answer: Chronic systemic inflammatory autoimmune disease
College.
Pain & Inflammation (Module 3)
General Pain Principles
1. Pain is considered which vital sign?
Answer: The 5th vital sign
2. How should nonopioid analgesics and NSAIDs be scheduled for pain control?
Answer: On a standing (scheduled) basis rather than PRN
3. Is pain a normal part of aging?
Answer: No
4. Which tool is used to assess pain in patients with advanced dementia?
Answer: PAINAD (Pain Assessment in Advanced Dementia)
5. Which cognitive and mood tools may be used in older adults with pain?
Answer: MMSE and Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS)
6. Which opioids are preferred in older adults with kidney or liver impairment?
Answer: Hydromorphone and fentanyl
7. Which opioid should be avoided in older adults due to toxic metabolites?
Answer: Meperidine (normeperidine)
8. What nonpharmacologic therapies are recommended for cognitively impaired adults?
Answer: Physical activity and cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)
9. Which behavior may indicate pain in a cognitively impaired patient?
Answer: Refusing food
Focused Pain Assessment
10. What does pain “location” assessment involve?
Answer: Using anatomical landmarks and having the patient point to the pain
11. What does pain “quality” describe?
Answer: How the pain feels (sharp, dull, burning, stabbing)
12. Which tools assess pain intensity?
Answer: Numeric rating scale and visual analog scale
13. What does pain “timing” assess?
Answer: Onset, duration, and frequency
, 14. What does the “setting” of pain assess?
Answer: Impact on activities of daily living (ADLs)
15. What are associated manifestations of pain?
Answer: Fatigue, depression, nausea, anxiety
16. Why is joint pain and mobility monitored?
Answer: To evaluate treatment effectiveness and disease progression
17. What does an increase in temperature indicate?
Answer: Infection
Types of Pain
18. What defines acute pain?
Answer: Short duration pain related to tissue injury that resolves with healing
19. What defines chronic pain?
Answer: Pain lasting longer than 3–6 months
20. What is nociceptive pain?
Answer: Pain from tissue damage or inflammation (normal pain processing)
21. Which type of nociceptive pain involves skin and superficial tissues?
Answer: Cutaneous pain
22. Which nociceptive pain affects bones, joints, and muscles?
Answer: Somatic pain
23. Which nociceptive pain originates in organs and causes referred pain?
Answer: Visceral pain
24. What causes referred pain?
Answer: Convergence of visceral and somatic nerve fibers at the spinal cord
25. What is neuropathic pain?
Answer: Pain caused by abnormal or damaged nerves
26. Which type of pain is the most difficult to manage?
Answer: Neuropathic pain
27. Which medications treat neuropathic pain?
Answer: Antidepressants, antispasmodics, skeletal muscle relaxants
Pain Management
28. Do analgesics alter the disease process?
Answer: No
, 29. How do glucocorticoids reduce pain?
Answer: By suppressing inflammation
30. Why should corticosteroids not be combined with NSAIDs?
Answer: Increased risk of GI bleeding
31. Why should patients help set pain goals?
Answer: To improve comfort and functional outcomes
32. When should patients be premedicated for pain?
Answer: Before painful procedures
33. What are the three categories of nonopioid analgesics?
Answer: Salicylates, acetaminophen, NSAIDs
34. What atypical analgesic is an alpha-2 adrenergic agonist?
Answer: Clonidine
35. Which antidepressants are preferred in older adults?
Answer: Nortriptyline and desipramine
36. Which medication blocks NMDA receptors?
Answer: Ketamine
37. Which medication is a GABA agonist used for spasticity?
Answer: Baclofen
38. Which anticonvulsants treat neuropathic pain?
Answer: Phenytoin, carbamazepine, lamotrigine
WHO Pain Principles
39. Preferred route for mild–moderate pain?
Answer: Oral
40. Should analgesics be given PRN or scheduled?
Answer: Scheduled
41. Primary goal of pain management?
Answer: Improve functional quality of life
42. Which opioid receptor causes respiratory depression and decreased GI motility?
Answer: Mu receptor
Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA)
43. What type of disease is RA?
Answer: Chronic systemic autoimmune inflammatory disease
, 44. Which joints are commonly affected in RA?
Answer: MCPs, PIPs, wrists
45. What causes joint deformity in RA?
Answer: Chronic synovitis
46. What lab tests help confirm RA?
Answer: RF, anti-CCP, ESR, CRP
47. What imaging detects early synovitis?
Answer: Ultrasound or MRI
48. What drugs are used when RA does not respond to NSAIDs?
Answer: DMARDs
49. Which DMARD is first-line?
Answer: Methotrexate
Osteoarthritis (OA)
50. Is OA immune-mediated?
Answer: No
51. What joints are commonly affected in OA?
Answer: Weight-bearing joints (hips, knees)
52. How long does morning stiffness last in OA?
Answer: Less than 30 minutes
Gout
53. What causes gout?
Answer: Deposition of monosodium urate crystals
54. Common site of first gout attack?
Answer: Great toe (podagra)
55. Which medication should be avoided in gout?
Answer: Aspirin
56. What foods increase uric acid levels?
Answer: Meat, seafood, alcohol
Lupus (SLE)
57. What type of disease is SLE?
Answer: Chronic systemic inflammatory autoimmune disease
