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Which is the most consistent and commonly used data for assessment of pain in infants?
- A. Self-report
- B. Behavioral
- C. Physiologic
- D. Parental report
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Behavioral assessment is useful for measuring pain in young children and preverbal children who do not have the language skills to communicate that they are in pain. Infants are not able to self-report. Physiologic measures are not able to distinguish between physical responses to pain and other forms of stress. Parental report without a structured tool may not accurately reflect the degree of discomfort.
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The parents of a preterm infant in a neonatal intensive care unit are concerned about their infant experiencing pain from so many procedures. The nurses response should be based on which characteristic about preterm infants pain?
- A. They may react to painful stimuli but are unable to remember the pain experience.
- B. They perceive and react to pain in much the same manner as children and adults.
- C. They do not have the cortical and subcortical centers that are needed for pain perception.
- D. They lack neurochemical systems associated with pain transmission and modulation.
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Numerous research studies have indicated that preterm and newborn infants perceive and react to pain in the same manner as children and adults. Preterm infants can have significant reactions to painful stimuli. Pain can cause oxygen desaturation and global stress response. These physiologic effects must be avoided by use of appropriate analgesia. Painful stimuli cause a global stress response, including cardiorespiratory changes, palmar sweating, increased intracranial pressure, and hormonal and metabolic changes. Adequate analgesia and anesthesia are necessary to decrease the stress response.
Which drug is usually the best choice for patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) for a child in the immediate postoperative period?
- A. Codeine sulfate (Codeine)
- B. Morphine (Roxanol)
- C. Methadone (Dolophine)
- D. Meperidine (Demerol)
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The most commonly prescribed medications for PCA are morphine, hydromorphone, and fentanyl. Parenteral use of codeine is not recommended. Methadone in parenteral form is not used in a PCA but is given orally or intravenously for pain in the infant. Meperidine is not used for continuous and extended pain relief.
What describes nonpharmacologic techniques for pain management?
- A. They may reduce pain perception.
- B. They usually take too long to implement.
- C. They make pharmacologic strategies unnecessary.
- D. They trick children into believing they do not have pain.
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Nonpharmacologic techniques provide coping strategies that may help reduce pain perception, make the pain more tolerable, decrease anxiety, and enhance the effectiveness of analgesics. The nonpharmacologic strategy should be matched with the childs pain severity and be taught to the child before the onset of the painful experience. Tricking children into believing they do not have pain may mitigate the childs experience with mild pain, but the child will still know the discomfort was present.
A child is in the intensive care unit after a motor vehicle collision. The child has numerous fractures and is in pain that is rated 9 or 10 on a 10-point scale. In planning care, the nurse recognizes that the indicated action is which?
- A. Give only an opioid analgesic at this time.
- B. Increase dosage of analgesic until the child is adequately sedated.
- C. Plan a preventive schedule of pain medication around the clock.
- D. Give the child a clock and explain when she or he can have pain medications.
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: For severe postoperative pain, a preventive around the clock (ATC) schedule is necessary to prevent decreased plasma levels of medications. The opioid analgesic will help for the present, but it is not an effective strategy. Increasing the dosage requires an order. The nurse should give the drug on a regular schedule and evaluate the effectiveness. Using a clock is counterproductive because it focuses the childs attention on how long he or she will need to wait for pain relief.
Children as young as age 3 years can use facial scales for discrimination. What are some suggested anchor words for the preschool age group?
- A. No hurt
- B. Red pain
- C. Zero hurt
- D. Least pain
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: No hurt is a phrase that is simple, concrete, and appropriate to the preoperational stage of the child. Using color is complicated for this age group. The child needs to identify colors and pain levels and then choose an appropriate symbolic color. This is appropriate for an older child. Zero is an abstract construct not appropriate for this age group. Least pain is less concrete than no hurt.