Health Assessment Quiz/ Activity – Pain

Name: __TECSON KENNETH ANDRE B.___________________ Score: ________________

I. Identification: Give what is asked for.

_RETICULAR FORMATION___________1. Center for pain awareness.
NOCIREPTOR 2. Nerve receptors responsible for pain sensation.
__PROSTAGLANDIN_3. Chemical substances that increase the sensitivity of pain receptors by enhancing the pain
provoking effect of bradykinin.
_THALAMUS__________4. Center for pain interpretation.
__Hyperalgesia_5. Heightened response to a painful stimulus.
_SEROTONIN_6. A neurotransmitter involved in transmission of nerve impulses and is involved in pain perception.
__Allodynia____7. An abnormal condition characterized by the production of pain by a non-painful stimulus.
_Endorphins____________8. A substance naturally present in the brain and spinal cord which inhibit pain impulse
transmission.
_BRADYKININ_9. An amino acid which is the most potent pain producing chemical.
__TRANSMISSION_10. A neurotransmitter which enhances the movement of pain impulses across the nerve synapse.
II. Matching Type: Match the types of pain in column A to their equivalent description in column B. Write your
answer beside the number using capital letters.

A B
E 1. Somatic A. Pain arising from the abdominal cavity and thorax (hollow viscera).
J 2. Acute B. Painful conditions that results from damage to the peripheral nerves
caused by infection or diseases.
F 3. Chronic C. Pain felt at the source and extends to the surrounding tissues
H 4. Referred D. Pain that occurs in the body surface
B 5. Neuropathic E. Pain that arises from nerve receptors in the skin likewise in the
muscles and joints.
L 6. Psychogenic F. Pain that is usually prolonged, lasting longer than 6 months often not
attributed to a definite cause
A 7. Visceral G. Pain syndrome that occurs following a surgical or traumatic
amputation of a limb.
G 8. Phantom H. Pain perceived in an area distant from the site of stimuli
C 9. Radiating I. Pain resistant to cure or relief
K 10.Intermittent J. Pain that is sudden in onset, usually temporary and lasts for less
than 6 months
D 11. Cutaneous K. Pain that stops and starts again
I 12. Intractable L. Pain that is experienced in the absence of a diagnosed physiologic
cause or event
III. Enumeration/ Essay:
1. Enumerate and expound beneficial effects of pain.
-  Pain improve the experience of events that follow pain’s offset and lead to pleasant relief. Other potential
benefits of pain derive from its ability to inhibit other unpleasant experiences and to elicit empathy and
social support. The experience of pain can benefit our defence systems, since pain can enhance motivation to
accumulate resources such as social support and calorie-rich foods. It can also reduce the guilt we feel after
self-indulgence or moral transgressions. In sum, we highlight a series of potentially positive effects linked to
pain. This framework can aid the understanding of why people sometimes seek out, enjoy, and gain rewards
from pain as well as pleasure.

2. Enumerate and expound detrimental effects of pain.

- Some effects of pain in our body are: it can raise our blood pressure, increase our breathing rate and
heart rate, and cause muscle tension. These things are hard on the body. They can lead to fatigue, sleeping
problems, and changes in appetite. If you feel tired but have a hard time falling asleep, you may have stress-
related fatigue. It can also lead to psychological disorder like anxiety and depression.

IV. Critical Thinking:

In the following scenario,
A. Identify the elements of pain assessment that are present and indicate the term/ terms that reflect that particular
 element.
- The provoking factors, quality, region & radiation, severity, time & treatment, understanding & impact or PQRSTU
were the elements presented. When the patient arrived, we see him trembling with severe, cramping abdominal pain
(QUALITY). Then he indicates that he has severe right upper quadrant pain that radiates to his back and he is more
comfortable walking bent forward than lying in bed (REGION & RADIATION). He also describe the pain as the
worst (SEVERITY) and explained how and when did he the pain started and what precipitated the discomfort (TIME
& PROVOKING FACTORS).

B. What particular pain assessment tool could be best used for an elderly type of patient?
A 62-year-old male patient is admitted to the medical unit from the emergency department. On arrival he is trembling and
nearly doubled over with severe, cramping abdominal pain. He indicates that he has severe right upper quadrant pain that
radiates to his back and he is more comfortable walking bent forward than lying in bed. He notes that he has had several
similar bouts of abdominal pain in the last month but “not as bad as this. This is the worst pain I can imagine.” The other
episodes lasted only about 2 hours. Today he experienced an acute onset of pain and nausea after eating fish and chips at a
fast-food restaurant about 4 hours ago.

- I think as a nurse, I would use pain intensity or rating scale as my tool to assess the pain experiencing by the 62
year old male patient. Simply because pain scale helps to better understand certain aspects of a person's pain and
can also help make an accurate diagnosis, create a treatment plan, and measure the effectiveness of treatment.

C. Your patient is a 2-year-old child and is diagnosed of Trisomy 21/ Down Syndrome diagnosed of appendicitis. He
is in extreme pain. What particular assessment tool could be best used for this patient. Expound your reason of
choosing the tool.
- Since my patient is a 2 year old child, I think its better to use Faces Pain Scale or the Wong Baker Pain Scale so
that they will able to choose the face that best illustrates the physical pain they are experiencing. In other words,
this scale is used to help children effectively communicate about their pain.

IV. The nervous system is involved in pain impulse transmission and interpretation. Categorize the following pain
responses into:
A. Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS)
B. Parasympathetic Nervous System (PNS)
C. Behavioral/ Musculoskeletal (BM)
D. Both SNS or PNS (SNS/ PNS)
E. Psychologic (PSY)

1. Skin pallor A
2. Nausea and vomiting B
3. Possible loss of consciousness
4. Restlessness E
5. Reflex abnormalities B
6. Weakness B
7. Moaning and crying C
8. Coldness B
9. Diaphoresis A
10. Rapid blinking E
11. Facial grimacing C
12. Muscle spasms B
13. Clamminess B
14. Decreased blood pressure A
15. Prostration D
16. Increased pulse rate and respiratory rate A
17. Dilated pupils A
18. Postures to splint, hold or protect painful areas B
19. Increased blood pressure A
20. Depression E
21. Desire for extra attention from others E
22. Decreased pulse rate A
23. Fear and anxiety E
24. Immobility B
25. Inability to concentrate E