The nurse is assessing how a patient's pain is affecting mobility. Which assessment question is most appropriate?
a. "Have you considered working with a physical therapist?"
b. "What activities, if any, has your pain prevented you from doing?"
c. "Would you please rate your pain on a scale from 1 to 10 for me?"
d. "What effect does your pain medication typically have on your pain?"
ANS: B
Because the nurse is interested in knowing whether the patient's pain is affecting mobility, the priority assessment question is to ask the patient how the pain affects his or her ability to participate in normal activities of daily living. Although a physical therapist is a good resource to have, especially if pain is severely affecting mobility, considering working with a physical therapist does not describe the effect of pain on the patient's mobility. Assessing quality of pain and effectiveness of pain medication does not help the nurse to understand how it is affecting the patient's mobility.
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