You are the nurse caring for a postsurgical patient who is Asian-American who speaks very little English. How should you most accurately assess this patient's pain?
A) Use a chart with English on one side of the page and the patient's native language on the other so he can rate his pain.
B) Ask the patient to write down a number according to the 0-to-10 point pain scale.
C) Use the Visual Analog Scale (VAS).
D) Use the services of a translator each time you assess the patient so you can document the patient's pain rating.
Ans: A
Feedback:
Of the listed options, a language comparison chart is most plausible. The VAS requires English language skills, even though it is visual. Asking the patient to write similarly requires the use of English. It is impractical to obtain translator services for every pain assessment, since this is among the most frequently performed nursing assessments.
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