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Pain Assessment Tools and Scale Conclusion
Pain Assessment Tools and Scale Conclusion ( 5 Questions)
A nurse is teaching a patient how to use a numeric rating scale (NRS) to assess pain intensity.
Which of the following statements by the nurse is appropriate?
This statement is appropriate because it uses the Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS) or Numerical Rating Scale (NRS), which is a subjective measure of pain intensity in adults, including those with chronic pain. It is a segmented numeric version of the visual analog scale (VAS) in which a respondent selects a whole number from 0 (no pain at all) to 10 (worst imaginable pain). The scale is anchored by terms describing pain severity extremes. It can help assess the extent of pain, improve communication with health care providers, guide the diagnostic process, and track the progression of pain.
It asks about the pain in the last 24 hours, which is not consistent with the NPRS. The NPRS usually asks about the pain intensity “in the last 24 hours” or average pain intensity, but not both.
It uses a different scale, the visual analogue scale (VAS), which is a continuous line with no numbers or segments. The respondent marks a line on this scale to show how much pain they have right now.
It uses another scale, the verbal rating scale (VRS), which is a list of words that describe different levels of pain intensity, such as mild, moderate, severe, etc. The respondent chooses a word from this list that best describes their pain right now.
This statement is appropriate because it uses the Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS) or Numerical Rating Scale (NRS), which is a subjective measure of pain intensity in adults, including those with chronic pain. It is a segmented numeric version of the visual analogue scale (VAS) in which a respondent selects a whole number from 0 (no pain at all) to 10 (worst imaginable pain). The scale is anchored by terms describing pain severity extremes. It can help assess the extent of pain, improve communication with healthcare providers, guide the diagnostic process, and track the progression of pain.
Choice B is wrong because it asks about the pain in the last 24 hours, which is not consistent with the NPRS. The NPRS usually asks about the pain intensity “in the last 24 hours” or average pain intensity, but not both.
Choice C is wrong because it uses a different scale, the visual analogue scale (VAS), which is a continuous line with no numbers or segments. The respondent marks a line on this scale to show how much pain they have right now.
Choice D is wrong because it uses another scale, the verbal rating scale (VRS), which is a list of words that describe different levels of pain intensity, such as mild, moderate, severe, etc. The respondent chooses a word from this list that best describes their pain right now.