Your patient's blood pressure is 118/82. He asks you to explain "what the numbers mean." You reply:

A. Posterior-to-anterior comparison. While both the anterior and posterior lung fields should be assessed, auscultation should be performed in a systematic side-to-side manner rather than switching between front and back.
B. Side-to-side comparison. The correct method for auscultating breath sounds is to compare sounds bilaterally (right lung to left lung) at each level. This helps identify asymmetrical lung sounds, which could indicate conditions like pneumonia, pleural effusion, or atelectasis.
C. Top-to-bottom comparison. While lung auscultation progresses from the apices to the bases, it should always be done in a side-to-side manner to detect differences between the lungs.
D. Interspace-by-interspace comparison. Although breath sounds are assessed at different intercostal spaces, the key principle is to compare sounds bilaterally at each level, rather than focusing solely on individual interspaces.

A. Regular use of narcotic analgesics leads to drug addiction. While opioids can cause dependence with prolonged use, addiction is characterized by compulsive drug-seeking behavior. When used appropriately for pain management, addiction risk is low.
B. Amount of pain is reflective of actual tissue damage. Pain perception varies widely among individuals. Some may experience severe pain with minimal tissue damage, while others may have little pain despite significant injury.
C. Patients are the best judges of their pain. Pain is subjective, and only the patient can accurately describe its intensity and quality. Nurses should trust the patient's self-report rather than rely solely on appearance or behavior.
D. Chronic pain is psychological in nature. Chronic pain often has a physiological basis, such as nerve damage or inflammation, though psychological factors can influence pain perception. It is not purely psychological.