ATI RN
Client Comfort and End of Care ATI Questions
Question 1 of 5
What does the nurse understand to be the primary goal when working with clients experiencing chronic pain?
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: The nurse understands the primary goal for clients with chronic pain is the ability to enjoy life again, focusing on quality of life despite persistent pain. Complete elimination isn't feasible, so enhancing function, mood, and activity tolerance takes precedence. Choice A, elimination of all pain, is unrealisticchronic pain endures, and treatments aim to manage, not erase it. Choice B, return to full physical ability, may be limited by pain or disease; partial improvement is more practical. Choice C, significant reduction of pain, is a means, not the goalreduction aids enjoyment but isn't the endpoint. Choice D is correct, embodying holistic nursing aimsthrough pain control, therapy, and support, clients regain pleasure in daily life, aligning with realistic, patient-centered outcomes for chronic conditions.
Question 2 of 5
What does the nurse recognize as the greatest advantage of intravenous (IV) pain medication over oral medication?
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: The nurse recognizes faster onset of action as the greatest advantage of IV pain medication over oral, as IV delivery bypasses digestion, entering the bloodstream directly for near-immediate reliefcrucial in acute pain (e.g., post-op). Oral meds take 30-60 minutes, delayed by absorption. Choice A, less expensive, is falseIV administration (e.g., tubing, pumps) costs more than pills. Choice B, fewer side effects, doesn't hold; IV opioids (e.g., morphine) carry similar risks (e.g., nausea) but hit harder due to potency. Choice D, easier to administer, is incorrectIV requires skill (e.g., vein access), unlike oral's simplicity. Choice C is correct, highlighting why nurses choose IV in emergencies or severe pain, ensuring rapid control, though monitoring (e.g., respiration) is key due to quick peak effects.
Question 3 of 5
What does the nurse recognize as the primary benefit of using a pain rating scale with clients?
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: The nurse recognizes that the primary benefit of a pain rating scale is allowing comparison over time, as it quantifies subjective pain (e.g., 0-10) consistently, tracking changes to assess treatment efficacy or pain progression. This aids longitudinal care. Choice A, reduces medication use, isn't directscales guide dosing, not inherently lower it. Choice B, provides objective data, is inaccurate; pain is subjectivescales standardize reporting, not objectify it. Choice D, eliminates need for observation, is falsescales complement, not replace, nonverbal cues (e.g., grimacing). Choice C is correct, reflecting nursing's reliance on scales (e.g., numeric, FACES) to monitor trendse.g., pain dropping from 8 to 4 post-interventionensuring dynamic, responsive management across acute or chronic cases.
Question 4 of 5
A client with chronic pain asks the nurse why the pain medication makes the client feel sleepy. What would be the basis of the nurse's response?
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The basis of the nurse's response is the effect on the brain, as opioid pain medications (e.g., morphine) depress the central nervous system, slowing activity in areas like the reticular formation, causing drowsinessa common side effect tied to their mechanism. This explains sleepiness consistently. Choice A, reduced pain perception, is the goal, not the causepain relief doesn't inherently sedate; CNS depression does. Choice C, increased metabolism, is falseopioids slow processes (e.g., gut), not hasten them, and metabolism doesn't drive sedation. Choice D, allergic reaction, is incorrect; sleepiness is pharmacological, not anaphylactic. Choice B is correct, enabling nurses to clarify this CNS effect, suggesting timing (e.g., bedtime dosing) to use sleepiness beneficially, reassuring clients it's normal while monitoring for excess sedation in chronic pain care.
Question 5 of 5
The nurse would expect a client receiving a nonopioid analgesic to report which of the following side effects?
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The nurse expects gastrointestinal upset from a nonopioid analgesic (e.g., ibuprofen), as NSAIDs inhibit gastric prostaglandins, irritating the stomach lining, causing nausea or paina common side effect. Choice A, constipation, is opioid-related, not nonopioidNSAIDs don't slow gut motility. Choice C, sedation, suits narcotics or adjuvants (e.g., amitriptyline), not nonopioids, which lack CNS depression. Choice D, respiratory depression, is an opioid risk, not nonopioidNSAIDs don't affect breathing. Choice B is correct, prompting nurses to monitor GI symptoms, advising food intake or antacids to mitigate upset, ensuring nonopioid benefits (pain relief) outweigh this manageable drawback in acute or chronic use.