Which nursing intervention is most effective in determining the severity of a client’s pain?

Compare the client’s current vital signs to the admission baseline.

Review the client’s medical history and admission assessment.

Note how frequently doses of analgesics have been administered.

Ask the client to describe the intensity of the pain being experienced.

Answer and Explanation

The Correct Answer is D

Choice A reason: Comparing vital signs to baseline may show tachycardia from pain-induced sympathetic activation, but this is non-specific, as fever or anxiety can mimic these. Pain is subjective, involving nociceptor signaling, and the client’s direct intensity description provides the most accurate severity measure, guiding targeted treatment.

Choice B reason: Reviewing medical history provides pain context but not current severity. Pain perception involves spinal and cortical nociceptive pathways, and only the client’s description quantifies intensity. Historical data informs diagnosis, but direct assessment is more precise for evaluating present pain, ensuring appropriate analgesic intervention.

Choice C reason: Noting analgesic frequency suggests pain control needs but not current severity. Frequent dosing may indicate tolerance or inadequate relief, not intensity. Pain’s subjective nature, mediated by neural pathways, requires the client’s report to assess severity accurately, guiding dosing over indirect medication usage patterns.

Choice D reason: Asking the client to describe pain intensity directly captures their subjective experience, mediated by nociceptors and cortical perception. Using a 0–10 scale quantifies severity, guiding precise analgesia. This is most effective, as pain is personal, ensuring accurate assessment and tailored treatment to alleviate discomfort effectively.

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Correct Answer is C

Explanation

Choice A reason: Placing the chair by the bed is preparatory but not immediate after sitting up. Prolonged bedrest risks orthostatic hypotension from reduced plasma volume and baroreceptor sensitivity. Assessing the client’s response ensures stability before transfer, preventing falls, making this less urgent than evaluating for dizziness or hypotension.

Choice B reason: Supporting the client when rising is premature before assessing their response to sitting. Bedrest causes deconditioning, increasing orthostatic hypotension risk, leading to dizziness or syncope. Determining how the client feels confirms cardiovascular stability, preventing falls during transfer due to blood pressure drops.

Choice C reason: Determining how the client feels assesses for orthostatic hypotension, common post-bedrest due to reduced venous return and baroreceptor dysfunction. Dizziness or lightheadedness signals syncope risk during transfer. This ensures cardiovascular stability, prioritizing safety before physical support, addressing physiological changes from prolonged immobility.

Choice D reason: Offering non-skid socks prevents falls during ambulation but is secondary to assessing sitting response. Bedrest heightens hypotension risk, and ensuring the client is not dizzy takes precedence to avoid syncope. Socks are a later safety measure, making this less immediate than evaluating physiological stability.

A. Maintain client on strict bedrest. B. Limit fluid intake. C. Strain all urine. D. Login a high-calcium diet.

Correct Answer is C

Explanation

Choice A reason: Strict bedrest is not indicated for urolithiasis, as movement may aid stone passage by shifting ureteral dynamics. Severe flank pain from ureteral obstruction causes muscle spasms. Straining urine collects stones for analysis, identifying composition to guide treatment, making bedrest less critical than addressing the stone.

Choice B reason: Limiting fluid intake is contraindicated, as high fluids promote urine flow, aiding stone passage and diluting urinary solutes like calcium. Pain results from obstruction, and straining urine identifies stone type. Fluid restriction increases stone formation risk, making this harmful and counterproductive to urolithiasis management.

Choice C reason: Straining all urine collects stones for analysis, determining composition (e.g., calcium oxalate) to guide dietary and pharmacological prevention. Severe flank pain from ureteral obstruction highlights the need for stone identification. This addresses the pathophysiological cause, enabling tailored interventions to prevent recurrence and manage acute symptoms.

Choice D reason: A high-calcium diet is inappropriate, as most kidney stones are calcium-based. Dietary calcium moderation, based on stone analysis from straining urine, prevents recurrence. Pain management requires stone identification, not increased calcium intake, which could exacerbate stone formation, making this counterproductive for urolithiasis.

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Which nursing intervention is most effective in determining the severity of a client’s pain?

Nursing Test Bank

Naxlex Comprehensive Predictor Exams

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Correct Answer is C

Explanation

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Correct Answer is C

Explanation

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