A hospitalized patient was admitted with chest pain that has been determined to be a somatoform disorder. The nurse answers the patient's call light, and the patient relates experiencing chest pain. Which response by the nurse is best?
a. Further assess the patient's pain and vital signs.
b. Gently remind the patient that the symptoms are not based on a physiological cause.
c. Administer a placebo analgesic.
d. Ask if the pain is the same type of pain the patient has been experiencing in the past.
ANS: A
Chest pain must always be taken seriously, even if it could be somatoform. The patient could be having cardiac symptoms. Assess the patient's pain and vital signs, and determine further action based on assessment findings. Placebos are never appropriate. Sometimes it is appropriate to explain to the patient that no physical cause has been found for a symptom, but this should not take the place of assessment, for the patient's safety.
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