Question:

The nurse works on a unit caring for chronic pain management patients. A UAP (unlicensed assistive personnel) is pulled from another unit to help out the busy floor. An hour into the shift, the UAP asks the nurse “What is wrong with the patient in room five? He says he’s in pain, but he’s watching TV!”. Which of the following is the nurse’s BEST response?

A “Tell me what you know about chronic pain management.”

explanation

This respnonse assesses what the nurse’s aide knows before teaching. On NCLEX, we never assume that a patient’s perception of pain is false.