Question

An older adult patient with dementia has a pain rating of 5 on the Pain Assessment in Advanced Dementia (PAINAD) scale. The nurse should ________.

1) reassess the pain level in 3 to 4 hours.
2) administer prescribed pain medication.
3) ask the patient to verify the pain rating.
4) use only nonpharmacologic pain relief interventions.

Answer 1

When an older adult patient with dementia has a pain rating of 5 on the PAINAD scale, the nurse should administer prescribed pain medication and consider nonpharmacologic interventions as well. Reassessment of the pain level is important after medication administration.

Step-by-step explanation:

Based on the Pain Assessment in Advanced Dementia (PAINAD) scale, a pain rating of 5 indicates moderate pain. In this case, the nurse should administer prescribed pain medication to help manage the patient's pain. Nonpharmacologic pain relief interventions may also be used in conjunction with medication. It is important for the nurse to reassess the pain level after administering medication to evaluate its effectiveness.