CHEST PAIN ASSESSMENT/ NUMERICAL PAIN SCALE
Chest pain may occur anywhere and anytime, even at rest. It may be related to stress or actual damage to the heart. A patient having a heart attack , usually complains of chest pain. What causes chest pain? When blood flow is obstructed, oxygen deprivation to the heart muscle results. This can result in a myocardial infarction ( MI). An EKG will confirm this. What are some signs and symptoms of chest pain? Chest pain may feel like pressure, stabbing pain, an extra pair of hands squeezing, or burning. Learn more about this topic by clicking on the links: The New Nurse - Hemodynamic Monitoring and The New Nurse- Do you know your heart? Scenario: Paul had surgery on his back two days prior. He is having pain and requests medication. The nurse does an assessment. Numerical pain scale assessment This a very useful tool when assessing pain . It is based on a scale of 0-10 ( 10 being the worst). A ladder starts from the ground which is the lo...