Fundamentals of Nursing Q 344
Which intervention should the nurse include as a nonpharmacologic pain-relief intervention for chronic pain?
A. Referring the client for hypnosis.
B. Administering pain medication as prescribed.
C. Removing all glaring lights and excessive noise.
D. Using transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation.
Correct Answer: D. Using transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation.
Nonpharmacologic pain relief interventions include cutaneous stimulation, back rubs, biofeedback, acupuncture, transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation, and more. Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) is a therapy that uses low voltage electrical current to provide pain relief. A TENS unit consists of a battery-powered device that delivers electrical impulses through electrodes placed on the surface of your skin. The electrodes are placed at or near nerves where the pain is located or at trigger points.
Option A: Hypnosis is considered an alternative therapy. Hypnosis is a set of techniques designed to enhance concentration, minimize one’s usual distractions, and heighten responsiveness to suggestions to alter one’s thoughts, feelings, behavior, or physiological state.
Option B: Medications are pharmacologic measures. A wide range of drugs are used to manage pain resulting from inflammation in response to tissue damage, chemical agents/pathogens (nociceptive pain), or nerve damage (neuropathic pain).
Option C: Although removing glaring lights and excessive noise help to reduce or remove noxious stimuli, it is not specific to pain relief. A noxious stimulus is actually, or potentially, damaging to tissue and liable to cause pain, but does not invariably do so. Some noxious stimuli, particularly in the viscera, do not cause nociceptive responses.