AMSN Pain Management and Palliative Care 3

Question 1

A medical-surgical nurse is using non-pharmacological pain management. Which intervention has the strongest evidence for acute post-operative pain?

Accepted Answer

Multimodal approach combining ice/heat, positioning, relaxation techniques, and analgesics

Answer

A multimodal approach combining non-pharmacological techniques with analgesics provides superior pain control by targeting multiple pain pathways.

Question 2

Which tool is most appropriate for assessing pain in a non-verbal patient with dementia on a medical-surgical unit?

Accepted Answer

PAINAD (Pain Assessment in Advanced Dementia) scale

Answer

The PAINAD scale assesses behavioral pain indicators (breathing, vocalization, facial expression, body language, consolability) in non-verbal dementia patients.

Question 3

A patient is to receive ketorolac (Toradol) IV for post-operative pain. The nurse knows that ketorolac should not be administered for more than:

Accepted Answer

5 days

Answer

Ketorolac is limited to 5 days maximum (IV or IM) due to cumulative risk of GI bleeding, renal impairment, and platelet dysfunction with prolonged use.

Question 4

A patient receiving a fentanyl transdermal patch for chronic pain needs to know that the patch should be:

Accepted Answer

Applied to clean, dry, non-irritated, non-irradiated skin on the upper arm, chest, or back and rotated sites

Answer

Fentanyl patches must be applied to intact, hairless, non-irradiated skin; heating the patch (fever, heating pads) accelerates absorption and can cause fatal overdose.

Question 5

A patient with a history of opioid use disorder requires post-operative pain management. The nurse understands that:

Accepted Answer

Patients with opioid use disorder have the right to effective pain management; coordinate with pain/addiction specialists

Answer

Patients with opioid use disorder are entitled to effective pain management; undertreating pain is unethical, and coordination with addiction medicine optimizes both comfort and safety.

AMSN - Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses Practice Test

AMSN - Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses Practice Test

AMSN Pain Management and Palliative Care 3