C1 · Short-term pain
Actual Comfort and rest
Definition
Pain of recent onset from injury, surgery, or illness that is expected to ease with healing.- Surgery
- injury
- procedures
- inflammation
- Reports pain
- grimacing
- guarding
- fast pulse
- restlessness
- high pain score
📋 Scenario
After knee surgery, a woman rates her pain 7 out of 10 when moving.
Subjective (S): "It hurts a lot when I move my knee."
Objective (O): Pain 7/10 on movement and 3/10 at rest; guarding; grimacing; pulse 98/min; day 1 after knee surgery.
Assessment tools for this scenario: CP-PAIN Pain & Comfort Score
Validated scales to consider: NRS 0–10, FLACC, PAINAD
**CarePath diagnosis:** Short-term pain related to surgery, as evidenced by reports pain and grimacing.
**Interventions and rationale**
| Intervention | Rationale |
|---|---|
| Assess pain with a scale. | A pain scale gives a measurable score so the nurse can choose treatment and judge whether it is working. |
| Give pain relief on time. | Giving pain relief on schedule keeps drug levels steady and prevents pain from becoming severe, which makes it easier to move and recover. |
| Reposition. | Changing position and supporting the knee reduces strain on the painful joint and surgical site. |
| Use cold or heat as ordered. | Cold reduces swelling and dulls pain after surgery, while heat relaxes tight muscles, so either one adds comfort to medicine when ordered. |
| Re-check 30 to 60 minutes later. | Re-checking after 30 to 60 minutes shows whether the medicine worked and lets the nurse ask for changes if pain remains high. |
**Expected outcomes**
- Within 1 hour of pain relief: pain 3/10 or lower.
- Moves and repositions without grimacing.
- Sleeps in 2-3 hour blocks.
**Linking the data to the diagnosis**
On day 1 after knee surgery the woman says it hurts a lot when she moves her knee. She rates pain 7/10 on movement and 3/10 at rest, with guarding, grimacing and a pulse of 98/min. These show pain of recent onset from surgery that should ease with healing, so it is short-term pain and not long-lasting pain, which continues for months. The pain is present now, so this is an actual diagnosis. The plan aims for pain of 3/10 or lower within 1 hour of pain relief, movement and repositioning without grimacing, and sleep in 2 to 3 hour blocks.
CarePath diagnosis
Short-term pain related to surgery, as evidenced by reports pain and grimacing.
Interventions and rationale
Listed in priority order.
| Intervention | Rationale |
|---|---|
| 1. Assess pain with a scale. | A pain scale gives a measurable score so the nurse can choose treatment and judge whether it is working. |
| 2. Give pain relief on time. | Giving pain relief on schedule keeps drug levels steady and prevents pain from becoming severe, which makes it easier to move and recover. |
| 3. Reposition. | Changing position and supporting the knee reduces strain on the painful joint and surgical site. |
| 4. Use cold or heat as ordered. | Cold reduces swelling and dulls pain after surgery, while heat relaxes tight muscles, so either one adds comfort to medicine when ordered. |
| 5. Re-check 30 to 60 minutes later. | Re-checking after 30 to 60 minutes shows whether the medicine worked and lets the nurse ask for changes if pain remains high. |
Expected outcomes
- Within 1 hour of pain relief: pain 3/10 or lower.
- Moves and repositions without grimacing.
- Sleeps in 2-3 hour blocks.
Linking the data to the diagnosis
On day 1 after knee surgery the woman says it hurts a lot when she moves her knee. She rates pain 7/10 on movement and 3/10 at rest, with guarding, grimacing and a pulse of 98/min. These show pain of recent onset from surgery that should ease with healing, so it is short-term pain and not long-lasting pain, which continues for months. The pain is present now, so this is an actual diagnosis. The plan aims for pain of 3/10 or lower within 1 hour of pain relief, movement and repositioning without grimacing, and sleep in 2 to 3 hour blocks.