NUR401 Midterm Exam Questions with
Answers
Whats the difference between acute pain and chronic pain(persistent)? - ✔✔Acute pain occurs
directly after injury then heals while chronic pain is usually associated with a disease process or
persistent after injury for months to years
acute pain - ✔✔sudden onset, normal healing
chronic pain - ✔✔episode of pain that lasts for 6 months or longer; may be intermittent or
continuous
intermittent pain - ✔✔Pain that comes and goes at intervals
constant pain - ✔✔always present, intensity may vary
localized pain - ✔✔confined to site of origin
generalized pain - ✔✔Pain that occurs in nonspecific areas and is focused in larger areas
general process of nociception - ✔✔cells of free nerve endings in skin and peripheral organs
that are somatosensory receptors, tissue integrity activates nociceptors to transport pain info
through somatosensory system, brain receives and interprets pain
Who is at higher risk for experiencing pain? - ✔✔Older adults - suffer from many conditions
with pain
Infants/ children - primarily from procedures sex/race/ethnicity/women/military
,What is included in a pain assessment? - ✔✔location of pain, quality, onset, duration,
alleviating and releiving factors, effect of pain on function, quality of life, comfort, pain goal
How will the nurse assess pain in a patient that is nonverbal? - ✔✔Obtain self report, consider
underlying conditions, observe behaviors, evaluate physiologic indicators, conduct an analgesic
trial
What is meant by "breakthrough pain" - ✔✔(pain flare) transitory exacerbation of pain in pt
who has relatively stable pain
What are the key medication groups used in treating pain? (3) - ✔✔3 analgesic groups
nonopioid analgesics - acetaminophen, nonselective NSAIDS (iburprofen,naproxen),
COX2(celecoxib)
opioid analgesics - morphine, fentanyl, hydromorphine, oxycodone
adjuvant analgesics - local anesthetics (lidocaine), anticonvulsants (gabapentin),
antidepressants (desipramine)
What nonpharmacologic strategies will the nurse use to treat pain ? - ✔✔massage,
acupuncture, heat, cold, mind-body methods, guided imagery, meditation
What concepts are interrelated to pain? - ✔✔Culture - awareness of differences
Mood - affects mood (suicidal thoughts)
Sleep - disturbance from pain
Person centered care - individual pain management plan
Fatigue - pain leads to fatigue
Tissue Integrity - nociceptive pain, disspate normal healing
Mobility - severe pain can be immobilizing
, Functional ability- inadequetly managed, affects ADLs
Development - how pain is interpreted, communication pain
Process of thermoregulation - ✔✔maintaining core body temp, aspect of homeostasis that
balances heat gain and heat loss, regulated by circadian variation in the hypothalamic 'set point'
What are examples of how heat is lost in the body? - ✔✔radiation - in a cool room
conduction - sitting on cold bench convection - feeling cool breeze vasodilation
evaporation - sweating
What populations are at higher risk for having problems with thermoregulation? - ✔✔infants -
do not have heat conserving capacity
older adults - slower circulation, decreased vasoconstriction, reduced function of
thermoregulating capacity of skin, decreased heat prod, and shivering response
Difference between fever and hyperthermia - ✔✔FEVER
Increase in temperature set point, caused by underlying pathology, triggers hypothalamus
HYPERTHERMIA
Increase in core body temp that exceeds the body's ability to dissipate heat, pathologic unto
itself
What are the consequences of untreated hypothermia? Hyperthermia? - ✔✔Hypothermia -
decreased blood flow
Hyperthermia - cardiovascular collapse, damage to nervous system, sodium loss, dehydration,
hypotension, tachycardia, reduced perfusion, decreased cardiac output
What nursing assessments are needed? - ✔✔outward appearance, history, vitals, elevated body
temp
Answers
Whats the difference between acute pain and chronic pain(persistent)? - ✔✔Acute pain occurs
directly after injury then heals while chronic pain is usually associated with a disease process or
persistent after injury for months to years
acute pain - ✔✔sudden onset, normal healing
chronic pain - ✔✔episode of pain that lasts for 6 months or longer; may be intermittent or
continuous
intermittent pain - ✔✔Pain that comes and goes at intervals
constant pain - ✔✔always present, intensity may vary
localized pain - ✔✔confined to site of origin
generalized pain - ✔✔Pain that occurs in nonspecific areas and is focused in larger areas
general process of nociception - ✔✔cells of free nerve endings in skin and peripheral organs
that are somatosensory receptors, tissue integrity activates nociceptors to transport pain info
through somatosensory system, brain receives and interprets pain
Who is at higher risk for experiencing pain? - ✔✔Older adults - suffer from many conditions
with pain
Infants/ children - primarily from procedures sex/race/ethnicity/women/military
,What is included in a pain assessment? - ✔✔location of pain, quality, onset, duration,
alleviating and releiving factors, effect of pain on function, quality of life, comfort, pain goal
How will the nurse assess pain in a patient that is nonverbal? - ✔✔Obtain self report, consider
underlying conditions, observe behaviors, evaluate physiologic indicators, conduct an analgesic
trial
What is meant by "breakthrough pain" - ✔✔(pain flare) transitory exacerbation of pain in pt
who has relatively stable pain
What are the key medication groups used in treating pain? (3) - ✔✔3 analgesic groups
nonopioid analgesics - acetaminophen, nonselective NSAIDS (iburprofen,naproxen),
COX2(celecoxib)
opioid analgesics - morphine, fentanyl, hydromorphine, oxycodone
adjuvant analgesics - local anesthetics (lidocaine), anticonvulsants (gabapentin),
antidepressants (desipramine)
What nonpharmacologic strategies will the nurse use to treat pain ? - ✔✔massage,
acupuncture, heat, cold, mind-body methods, guided imagery, meditation
What concepts are interrelated to pain? - ✔✔Culture - awareness of differences
Mood - affects mood (suicidal thoughts)
Sleep - disturbance from pain
Person centered care - individual pain management plan
Fatigue - pain leads to fatigue
Tissue Integrity - nociceptive pain, disspate normal healing
Mobility - severe pain can be immobilizing
, Functional ability- inadequetly managed, affects ADLs
Development - how pain is interpreted, communication pain
Process of thermoregulation - ✔✔maintaining core body temp, aspect of homeostasis that
balances heat gain and heat loss, regulated by circadian variation in the hypothalamic 'set point'
What are examples of how heat is lost in the body? - ✔✔radiation - in a cool room
conduction - sitting on cold bench convection - feeling cool breeze vasodilation
evaporation - sweating
What populations are at higher risk for having problems with thermoregulation? - ✔✔infants -
do not have heat conserving capacity
older adults - slower circulation, decreased vasoconstriction, reduced function of
thermoregulating capacity of skin, decreased heat prod, and shivering response
Difference between fever and hyperthermia - ✔✔FEVER
Increase in temperature set point, caused by underlying pathology, triggers hypothalamus
HYPERTHERMIA
Increase in core body temp that exceeds the body's ability to dissipate heat, pathologic unto
itself
What are the consequences of untreated hypothermia? Hyperthermia? - ✔✔Hypothermia -
decreased blood flow
Hyperthermia - cardiovascular collapse, damage to nervous system, sodium loss, dehydration,
hypotension, tachycardia, reduced perfusion, decreased cardiac output
What nursing assessments are needed? - ✔✔outward appearance, history, vitals, elevated body
temp
