A patient is seen resting quietly; however, when the nurse enters the room, the patient begins to grimace and asks for more pain medication. Which of the following should the nurse do?
1. Assess the level of pain and provide the requested pain medication.
2. Confront the patient and ask about the sudden demonstration of pain.
3. Tell the patient that medication cannot be provided at this time and leave the room.
4. Refuse the medication and document that the patient appears to be faking the need for pain medication.
Assess the level of pain and provide the requested pain medication.
Rationale: The behavioral dimension of pain states that responses to pain can be situational, developmental, or learned. Failure to respond to a patient's complaint of pain may lead to learned pain behaviors. The patient may have learned that unless she has an open demonstration of pain, the complaint of pain might be ignored. The nurse should assess the level of pain and provide the medication. The nurse should not confront the patient, deny the medication, or document the patient faking the need for medication.
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