The nurse is caring for a patient recovering from surgery. Which intervention will provide the most pain relief for the patient?
1. Offer pain relief before the patient complains of pain.
2. Wait until the patient can describe the pain specifically.
3. Assess the pain level every 4 hours around the clock.
4. Allow the patient to "sleep off" the anesthesia, then offer pain medication.
Correct Answer: 1
Anticipating a patient's pain will ensure a more manageable pain experience than will waiting until the patient complains of pain. Pain management needs to be implemented before the patient describes specific postoperative pain or "sleeps off" anesthesia. The patient should not be awakened to assess pain unless there are other significant nonverbal signs during sleep that indicate the patient is in pain. These can include grimacing, moaning, thrashing, or guarding of a surgical site.
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