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BSN 266 Final Exam: Shadow Health Pain Assessment Overview — 100 Questions with
Answers
Section 1: Pain Assessment Framework & Mnemonics (Questions 1–20)
1. What is the primary purpose of a focused pain assessment?
A) To conduct a full head-to-toe physical exam
B) To quickly address and understand a specific complaint of pain
C) To diagnose the underlying cause of the pain
D) To immediately administer pain medication
Answer: B
A focused assessment is problem-oriented and designed to delve deeply into a specific issue,
such as pain, rather than performing a comprehensive review of all body systems .
2. The "Q" in the PQRST mnemonic stands for:
A) Quantity
B) Quality
C) Question
D) Quickness
Answer: B
PQRST stands for Provocation/Palliation, Quality, Region/Radiation, Severity, Timing .
3. Which mnemonic is the standard framework for organizing pain-related history of
present illness data?
A) ABCDE
B) OLDCARTS
C) PQRST
D) SBAR
Answer: C
The PQRST mnemonic is the standard framework for organizing pain-related HPI data .
4. The "A" in the OLDCARTS framework stands for:
A) Allergies
B) Aggravating factors
C) Assessment
D) Appearance
Answer: B
Aggravating factors specifically asks what activities or circumstances exacerbate the pain .
5. To assess the "Location" of pain, you should ask:
, 2
A) "Is your pain sharp or dull?"
B) "Can you point to where the pain is?"
C) "How long have you had this pain?"
D) "Does the pain move around?"
Answer: B
Location assessment involves asking the patient to identify where the pain is felt .
6. Which question would best elicit information about the "R" component of the PQRST
mnemonic?
A) "On a scale of 0 to 10, how severe is your pain?"
B) "Does the pain stay in one place, or does it spread?"
C) "What does the pain feel like?"
D) "When did the pain start?"
Answer: B
The "R" in PQRST stands for Region/Radiation, assessed by asking if the pain stays localized
or radiates .
7. What is the most appropriate initial question when beginning the patient interview?
A) "Do you have any allergies?"
B) "What brought you to the hospital today?"
C) "Can you rate your pain on a scale of 0 to 10?"
D) "Have you fallen recently?"
Answer: B
Open-ended questions such as "What brought you here today?" establish the chief
complaint and allow the patient to describe their primary concern without bias .
8. When asked about the history of present illness, which framework organizes pain
assessment data?
A) ABCDE
B) OLDCARTS
C) PQRST
D) HIPAA
Answer: C
The PQRST mnemonic (Provocation/Palliation, Quality, Region/Radiation, Severity, Timing) is
the standard framework for organizing pain-related HPI data .
9. To assess the "Quality" of pain, you should ask:
A) "Is your pain constant or intermittent?"
B) "What does the pain feel like? Is it sharp, dull, burning, aching?"
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C) "How long does the pain last when it comes?"
D) "What were you doing when the pain started?"
Answer: B
Quality assessment asks the patient to describe how the pain feels .
10. The "P" in PQRST stands for:
A) Pain level
B) Provocation/Palliation
C) Pulse
D) Palpation
Answer: B
PQRST begins with Provocation/Palliation, which identifies factors that increase or decrease
pain .
11. Which assessment finding indicates Mr. Carter's pain is impacting his functional
mobility? (Select all that apply)
A) Recent decline in ability to exercise
B) Recent decline in ability to ambulate
C) Report of dizziness
D) History of a recent fall
E) Difficulty transferring
Answer: A, B, D
Mr. Carter reports a recent inability to walk and exercise, and a history of a recent fall. He
does not report dizziness, difficulty with transferring, bruising, or emotional distress .
12. Edward describes his pain as "aching" and "deep" with an occasional "grating"
sensation. Which pain quality has he denied experiencing?
A) Aching
B) Deep
C) Sharp
D) Grating
Answer: C
Edward denies shooting, sharp, burning, and stinging sensations. He reports aching, deep,
and grating qualities .
13. Edward identifies exercise and weight bearing as factors that worsen his pain. In the
PQRST mnemonic, these are categorized under which component?
A) Quality
B) Region/Radiation
BSN 266 Final Exam: Shadow Health Pain Assessment Overview — 100 Questions with
Answers
Section 1: Pain Assessment Framework & Mnemonics (Questions 1–20)
1. What is the primary purpose of a focused pain assessment?
A) To conduct a full head-to-toe physical exam
B) To quickly address and understand a specific complaint of pain
C) To diagnose the underlying cause of the pain
D) To immediately administer pain medication
Answer: B
A focused assessment is problem-oriented and designed to delve deeply into a specific issue,
such as pain, rather than performing a comprehensive review of all body systems .
2. The "Q" in the PQRST mnemonic stands for:
A) Quantity
B) Quality
C) Question
D) Quickness
Answer: B
PQRST stands for Provocation/Palliation, Quality, Region/Radiation, Severity, Timing .
3. Which mnemonic is the standard framework for organizing pain-related history of
present illness data?
A) ABCDE
B) OLDCARTS
C) PQRST
D) SBAR
Answer: C
The PQRST mnemonic is the standard framework for organizing pain-related HPI data .
4. The "A" in the OLDCARTS framework stands for:
A) Allergies
B) Aggravating factors
C) Assessment
D) Appearance
Answer: B
Aggravating factors specifically asks what activities or circumstances exacerbate the pain .
5. To assess the "Location" of pain, you should ask:
, 2
A) "Is your pain sharp or dull?"
B) "Can you point to where the pain is?"
C) "How long have you had this pain?"
D) "Does the pain move around?"
Answer: B
Location assessment involves asking the patient to identify where the pain is felt .
6. Which question would best elicit information about the "R" component of the PQRST
mnemonic?
A) "On a scale of 0 to 10, how severe is your pain?"
B) "Does the pain stay in one place, or does it spread?"
C) "What does the pain feel like?"
D) "When did the pain start?"
Answer: B
The "R" in PQRST stands for Region/Radiation, assessed by asking if the pain stays localized
or radiates .
7. What is the most appropriate initial question when beginning the patient interview?
A) "Do you have any allergies?"
B) "What brought you to the hospital today?"
C) "Can you rate your pain on a scale of 0 to 10?"
D) "Have you fallen recently?"
Answer: B
Open-ended questions such as "What brought you here today?" establish the chief
complaint and allow the patient to describe their primary concern without bias .
8. When asked about the history of present illness, which framework organizes pain
assessment data?
A) ABCDE
B) OLDCARTS
C) PQRST
D) HIPAA
Answer: C
The PQRST mnemonic (Provocation/Palliation, Quality, Region/Radiation, Severity, Timing) is
the standard framework for organizing pain-related HPI data .
9. To assess the "Quality" of pain, you should ask:
A) "Is your pain constant or intermittent?"
B) "What does the pain feel like? Is it sharp, dull, burning, aching?"
, 3
C) "How long does the pain last when it comes?"
D) "What were you doing when the pain started?"
Answer: B
Quality assessment asks the patient to describe how the pain feels .
10. The "P" in PQRST stands for:
A) Pain level
B) Provocation/Palliation
C) Pulse
D) Palpation
Answer: B
PQRST begins with Provocation/Palliation, which identifies factors that increase or decrease
pain .
11. Which assessment finding indicates Mr. Carter's pain is impacting his functional
mobility? (Select all that apply)
A) Recent decline in ability to exercise
B) Recent decline in ability to ambulate
C) Report of dizziness
D) History of a recent fall
E) Difficulty transferring
Answer: A, B, D
Mr. Carter reports a recent inability to walk and exercise, and a history of a recent fall. He
does not report dizziness, difficulty with transferring, bruising, or emotional distress .
12. Edward describes his pain as "aching" and "deep" with an occasional "grating"
sensation. Which pain quality has he denied experiencing?
A) Aching
B) Deep
C) Sharp
D) Grating
Answer: C
Edward denies shooting, sharp, burning, and stinging sensations. He reports aching, deep,
and grating qualities .
13. Edward identifies exercise and weight bearing as factors that worsen his pain. In the
PQRST mnemonic, these are categorized under which component?
A) Quality
B) Region/Radiation
