NURS- Vitals & Pain Flashcards
What are vitals?
a person’s temp, pulse, respiration, and blood pressure (pain is often the 5th vital sign)
What is pain?
pg. 1112
Body’s defense mechanism that usually indicates that something is wrong. It’s a subjective symptom that only the patient can identify and describe.
When should a person’s vitals and pain level be checked?
pg. 517
- on admission to facility
- as frequent as facility policies state
- any-time there’s a change in pt. status
- any time there’s a loss of consciousness
- before and after surgical or invasive
procedure - before and after ambulation after surgery
- before administering meds that affect
cardiovascular and respiratory function
What are the ways pain can be classified by?
pg. 1112
- duration
- location or source
- mode of transmission
- etiology
Cutaneous pain
involves the skin or subcutaneous tissue
Somatic pain
pain that is diffuse or scattered and originates in the tendons, ligaments, bones, blood vessels, and nerves
Visceral pain
pg. 1112
pain that is poorly localized and originates in body organs in the thorax, cranium, and abdomen
Neuropathic pain
pg. 1113
pain that results from an injury to or abnormal functioning of the PNS or the CNS
Psychogenic pain
pg. 1113
physical cause for the pain cannot be identified
What are the different types of pain?
pg. 1113
- radiating
- referred
- intractable
- neuropathic
- phantom
- pain syndrome
- burning
What are the different durations of pain?
- acute
- chronic
- remission
- exacerbation
- intractable
What is exacerbation?
When pain goes away and reappears
What is intractable pain?
pain that is resistant to therapy and persists despite a variety of interventions
What is referred pain?
pg. 1113
pain that originates in one part of the body but is perceived in an area distant from its point of origin
What is pain threshold?
pg. 1116
the lowest intensity of a stimulus that causes the subject to recognized pain
