10 NCLEX® Questions About Pain

A client is suffering from osteoarthritis in the knees and the nurse is providing care. The nurse is assessing the client’s pain level and pain tolerance. Based on the nurse’s understanding of pain, the nurse knows that a client’s pain tolerance is most likely increased by which of the following?

• Anger
• Boredom
• Introversion
• Sleep

A nurse is caring for an unconscious client who is recovering from a head injury. The client is sedated with an intracranial monitor in place, and the nurse is charting the client’s pain level. Which of the following pain assessment methods are appropriate in this situation? Select all that apply.

• Numerical pain scale
• Wong-Baker FACES Pain Rating Scale
• Behavioral Pain Scale
• Descriptive pain scale
• Nonverbal indicators of pain

A client reports a pain level of 10/10. Which of the following medications in the client’s orders will help this client’s pain level to improve?

• Famotidine
• Fluoxetine
• Furosemide
• Fentanyl

A client has been injured in an accident and needs treatment for an arm fracture. The client has a history of substance abuse and requests only acetaminophen for pain. The provider orders the nurse to administer narcotics for pain due to the fracture. Which best describes the first step of the nurse in managing this situation?

• Telling the client that the provider has ordered the medication whether the client wants it or not
• Helping the client to find a support group that will help manage the client's conflict with taking drugs for pain
• Talking with the client about the outcomes of taking pain medication for an injury compared to using drugs inappropriately
• Contacting the hospital administrator to get the provider to change the order

A client who has bone cancer has a prescription for hydromorphone that is available in large amounts. The client tells the nurse that he is afraid of becoming addicted to the pain medications because it has been prescribed in such a large amount. Which response of the nurse is most appropriate?

• You cannot become addicted to this because you have cancer
• If you take the minimal amount, you shouldn't have a problem
• It is rare for clients with cancer to become addicted to pain medication when taken as prescribed
• I will tell the provider that you do not want the medication

A client who is receiving palliative care is afraid of becoming addicted to pain medications given to alleviate suffering. Which of the following is true regarding use of pain medication with palliative care? Select all that apply.

• If a client develops physical dependence on the drug, it does not need to be stopped
• A client who takes high doses of opioid for pain relief with palliative care will not develop a tolerance for the drug
• Opioids are often the first choice of pain control for palliative care
• Physical dependence for a drug is not the same as physical addiction to a drug
• Side effects of opioids are unlikely when these drugs are used for palliative care

A nurse is caring for a client with chronic pain and recommends relaxation therapy as part of pain management. How would relaxation therapy work in this situation?

• Relaxation can decrease anxiety, which reduces muscle tension and helps ease pain
• Relaxation increases endorphins, which results in a decrease in pain
• Relaxation is used to channel pain receptors away from signaling the brain
• Relaxation causes the affected person heal from the painful condition more quickly

A nurse is using a TENS device to help a client with low back pain. Which of the following considerations should the nurse keep in mind when using this type of device? Select all that apply.

• The TENS unit involves electrical stimulation
• TENS may induce contractions in a pregnant person
• TENS can be used all over the body
• A client who has a monitor should not use TENS over leads
• TENS can cause damage to the skin

The nurse is caring for a client on post-operative day 1 after a right lower lobe thoracotomy. The client states she in terrible pain. Which is the most appropriate response?

• I will use the Wong-Baker faces scale to figure out which pain medication to give you
• How bad is it?
• I will set up a guided imagery session for you right away
• What is your pain level on a scale of 0-10? 0 is no pain, 10 is the worst pain possible

A 50-year-old patient is recovering from abdominal surgery. He complains of pain that has been continuously rated at a 6 on a 0-10 scale despite the intervention of giving morphine Q4H PRN. Which implication must the nurse consider when controlling this patient’s pain?

• Whether the patient is experiencing an increased respiratory rate because of the medication
• Whether the patient is allergic to the medication
• Whether the patient is becoming addicted to the medication
• Whether the patient would respond to a different type of medication