Final answer:
Nurses should assess pain during the admission interview, when taking vital signs, and regularly after surgeries, not just when the patient complains. The Wong-Baker Faces scale and skin conductance fluctuations are tools for assessing pain, integrating subjective and objective measures.
Step-by-step explanation:
The nurse should assess pain at multiple points in patient care, not solely when the patient complains of pain. Firstly, pain should be assessed during the admission interview to understand the patient's baseline and any current pain issues. It is also standard practice to assess pain whenever a full set of vital signs is taken, ensuring that pain management is integrated into overall patient monitoring. Following surgeries or procedures, it is essential to evaluate pain regularly, such as every 4 hours for the first 2 days after surgery, to manage postoperative pain effectively and adjust treatment as needed. Moreover, effective communication among the healthcare team – which includes surgeons, nurses, and anesthesia professionals – is crucial in planning and monitoring recovery, including pain management strategies.
Several methods for assessing pain exist, and it's important for nursing staff to be aware of the different tools. The Wong-Baker Faces pain-rating scale is a subjective measure, asking patients to rate their pain on a scale, while measuring skin conductance fluctuations offers an alternative, more objective method. Recognizing the subjective nature of pain as a symptom, it is important to consistently assess and validate the patient's pain experience to provide the most effective care.