A patient who is cognitively impaired is demonstrating signs of being in pain. How should the nurse assess this patient's pain level?
A) Ask the patient to numerically rate the pain
B) Observe the patient often over the next several hours
C) Provide the patient with a visual analog scale to gauge pain
D) Go through the McGill Pain Questionnaire with the patient
C
Feedback:
Given the patient's cognitive impairment, the McGill Questionnaire and numeric rating are likely to be less accurate than a visual analog scale. Simple observation would need to be supplemented with an attempt at active assessment.
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