The nurse meets with a patient with chronic pain who has tried a new program to manage pain. On a scale of 1 to 10, she reports pain reduction from an 8 to a 5

Question

What questions would the nurse ask to further evaluate the effectiveness of this program? Select all that apply.
a. "Does this reduction in pain allow you to perform daily activities?"
b. "Are you satisfied with the degree of pain relief you have achieved?"
c. "May I review what you have recorded in your pain journal?"
d. "Is the pain less than before you started the program?"
e. "How has your family responded to the reduction in your pain?"

Answer 1

A, B, C
The nurse needs to determine what this reduction in pain means to the lifestyle of the patient because a pain level even as low as 5 may still diminish the patient's ability to function. The goal of pain management is for the patient to achieve satisfaction with the amount of pain relief obtained. Each patient's pain experience is individual, and the amount of pain that a person can tolerate varies. A pain journal can help the nurse to evaluate the effectiveness of analgesic therapy as well as the patient's feelings about the chronic pain. The nurse already knows the pain has diminished from an 8 to a 5, so this question is not necessary. The family is most likely happy that she feels better, so this question is not worded in a way to obtain important data.