Health Promotion and Maintenance
79. A 3-year-old child is hospitalized with multiple fractures as a result of a car accident. What is the best way for a nurse to assess this child's pain level?
Health Promotion and Maintenance
79. A 3-year-old child is hospitalized with multiple fractures as a result of a car accident. What is the best way for a nurse to assess this child's pain level?
. Ask the child to rate pain using a numeric pain rating scale.
. Rely on vital sign measurements as a way to verify pain ratings.
. Employ the FACES pain scale with every nursing assessment.
. Try to have the child describe the pain's intensity and quality.
Test-Taking Tip
Recall that the FACES pain scale uses drawings of smiling and frowning faces to elicit children's pain ratings. Simple assessment tools are best suited for young children, while more descriptive and finite tools are better suited for children in later stages of cognitive development.
Content Area: Child Health, Pain; Integrated Process: Nursing Process, Assessment; Cognitive Level: Comprehension; Client Need/Subneed: Health Promotion and Maintenance/Developmental Stages and Transitions
Health Promotion and Maintenance
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Answer 1 is incorrect because the child is too young to provide a numeric pain rating. Answer 2 is incorrect because vital signs are transient and should not be used to verify pain ratings. A nurse should assume that a child with multiple fractures is telling the truth about pain. Answer 3 is correct because the FACES pain rating scale can be used with children as young as 3 years of age, and pain should be investigated with every nursing assessment. Answer 4 is incorrect because young children have minimal language skills and do not understand the difference between descriptive qualities such as dull and sharp.