Question

The nurse is caring for a client who has experienced significant pain following a surgical procedure. Which nursing interventions are appropriate? Select all that apply.

Option 1: Delegate pain assessment to the UAP.
Option 2: Consider cultural implications of the perception of pain.
Option 3: Assess for pain control 30 minutes after administering an analgesic.
Option 4: Infer that the client who does not complain has no pain.
Option 5: Provide pain medication before activity that may increase pain.

Answer 1

Appropriate nursing interventions for postoperative pain include considering cultural aspects of pain, assessing pain control after giving analgesics, and preemptive pain management. Incorrect practices would be delegating the pain assessment to UAP and assuming no pain without complaints, as these do not provide accurate pain evaluations.

Step-by-step explanation:

In caring for a client who has experienced significant pain following a surgical procedure, appropriate nursing interventions include considering the cultural implications of the perception of pain, assessing pain control 30 minutes after administering an analgesic, and providing pain medication before activity that may increase pain. It is not appropriate to delegate pain assessment to unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP) as pain assessment requires clinical judgment and knowledge that UAPs do not have. Additionally, one should not infer that a client has no pain just because they do not complain; pain assessment tools, such as the Mosby pain rating scale, are valuable for evaluating an individual's level of pain even if they are not verbally expressing it. Both the surgeon and nursing staff play critical roles in reviewing and anticipating the needs of the patient in terms of recovery and possible postoperative pain management strategies, including the use of anti-inflammatory medications such as aspirin-like drugs when appropriate.