NUR401 Midterm Exam Questions with
Answers
Pain - ✔✔an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential
tissue damage or described in terms of such damage
viceral pain - ✔✔caused by stimulation of deep pain receptors. Quality and extent of pain are
strong clues of cause
deep somatic pain - ✔✔comes from sources such as blood vessels, joints, tendons, muscles,
and bone
Localized and described as achy or tender
radiating pain - ✔✔starts at the origin but extends to other locations
referred pain - ✔✔pain that is felt in a location other than where the pain originates
phantom pain - ✔✔pain felt in a body part that is no longer there
psychogenic pain - ✔✔pain for which no physical cause can be identified
nociceptive pain - ✔✔pain from pain receptors
neuropathic pain - ✔✔complex and chronic pain from injured nerves misfiring
acute pain - ✔✔short duration and rapid onset of pain that lasts from seconds to less than 6
months
,chronic pain - ✔✔lasts 3-6 months or longer and interferes with daily activities
intractable pain - ✔✔severe, chronic pain that is extremely resistant to relief measures
types of pain quality - ✔✔sharp, dull, aching. throbbing, stabbing, burning, ripping, searing,
tingling
pain periodicity - ✔✔episodic, intermittent, or constant
pain intensity - ✔✔mild, distracting, moderate, severe, intolerable
Transduction - ✔✔nociceptors become activated by perception of potentially dangerous
mechanical, thermal, & chemical stimuli
transmission - ✔✔peripheral nerves carry the pain message to the dorsal horn of the spinal
cord
A delta fibers carry fast pain messages, C fibers carry slow pain messages
pain threshold - ✔✔the point at which a person feels pain
pain tolerance - ✔✔the amount of pain a patient can endure without its interfering with normal
function
Hyperalgesia - ✔✔excessive sensitivity to painful stimuli
Allodynia - ✔✔Pain due to a stimulus that does not normally provoke pain
, pain modulation - ✔✔changing pain perception by facilitating or inhibiting pain signals
gate-control theory - ✔✔theory that A delta fibers can block C fiber pain by blocking the gate
Factors influencing pain - ✔✔emotions, previous pain experience, life stage, sociocultural
factors, and communication & cognitive impairments
Reaction to pain - ✔✔acute pain triggers SNS flight or flight
If pain continues PNS takes over
Unrelieved pain leads to (by system) - ✔✔endocrine: release hormones, can result in weight
loss, tachycardia, fever, increased respirations and death
CV: hypercoagulation, increased HR, BP, cardiac workload, and O2 demand. Can lead to chest
pain, clots and an MI
Musculoskeletal: impaired muscle function, fatigue, and immobility
Respiratory - shallow breathing leads to low tidal volume and increased inspiratory & expiratory
pressures, which can lead to pneumonia, atelectasis, and underventilation
GU: reduced output, urinary retention, fluid overload, hypokalemia, hypertension, and
increased cardiac output
GI: secretions and smooth muscle tone increase, gastric emptying and motility decrease
Pain questions - ✔✔where is the pain? & how bad is it?
What makes it feel worse/better? describe
the pain
How long have you had it? How often do you have it?relief expectations
Ability to perform ADLs/ Mobility psych/social factors
Answers
Pain - ✔✔an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential
tissue damage or described in terms of such damage
viceral pain - ✔✔caused by stimulation of deep pain receptors. Quality and extent of pain are
strong clues of cause
deep somatic pain - ✔✔comes from sources such as blood vessels, joints, tendons, muscles,
and bone
Localized and described as achy or tender
radiating pain - ✔✔starts at the origin but extends to other locations
referred pain - ✔✔pain that is felt in a location other than where the pain originates
phantom pain - ✔✔pain felt in a body part that is no longer there
psychogenic pain - ✔✔pain for which no physical cause can be identified
nociceptive pain - ✔✔pain from pain receptors
neuropathic pain - ✔✔complex and chronic pain from injured nerves misfiring
acute pain - ✔✔short duration and rapid onset of pain that lasts from seconds to less than 6
months
,chronic pain - ✔✔lasts 3-6 months or longer and interferes with daily activities
intractable pain - ✔✔severe, chronic pain that is extremely resistant to relief measures
types of pain quality - ✔✔sharp, dull, aching. throbbing, stabbing, burning, ripping, searing,
tingling
pain periodicity - ✔✔episodic, intermittent, or constant
pain intensity - ✔✔mild, distracting, moderate, severe, intolerable
Transduction - ✔✔nociceptors become activated by perception of potentially dangerous
mechanical, thermal, & chemical stimuli
transmission - ✔✔peripheral nerves carry the pain message to the dorsal horn of the spinal
cord
A delta fibers carry fast pain messages, C fibers carry slow pain messages
pain threshold - ✔✔the point at which a person feels pain
pain tolerance - ✔✔the amount of pain a patient can endure without its interfering with normal
function
Hyperalgesia - ✔✔excessive sensitivity to painful stimuli
Allodynia - ✔✔Pain due to a stimulus that does not normally provoke pain
, pain modulation - ✔✔changing pain perception by facilitating or inhibiting pain signals
gate-control theory - ✔✔theory that A delta fibers can block C fiber pain by blocking the gate
Factors influencing pain - ✔✔emotions, previous pain experience, life stage, sociocultural
factors, and communication & cognitive impairments
Reaction to pain - ✔✔acute pain triggers SNS flight or flight
If pain continues PNS takes over
Unrelieved pain leads to (by system) - ✔✔endocrine: release hormones, can result in weight
loss, tachycardia, fever, increased respirations and death
CV: hypercoagulation, increased HR, BP, cardiac workload, and O2 demand. Can lead to chest
pain, clots and an MI
Musculoskeletal: impaired muscle function, fatigue, and immobility
Respiratory - shallow breathing leads to low tidal volume and increased inspiratory & expiratory
pressures, which can lead to pneumonia, atelectasis, and underventilation
GU: reduced output, urinary retention, fluid overload, hypokalemia, hypertension, and
increased cardiac output
GI: secretions and smooth muscle tone increase, gastric emptying and motility decrease
Pain questions - ✔✔where is the pain? & how bad is it?
What makes it feel worse/better? describe
the pain
How long have you had it? How often do you have it?relief expectations
Ability to perform ADLs/ Mobility psych/social factors
