RN Exam Practice
Management of CareQuestion 1693 of 2368

A client has an acute injury and severe pain. The nurse is about to start the musculoskeletal interview. What should the nurse do first?

  1. Provide pain relief or stabilize the injury before continuing the interview
  2. Complete the full interview before giving any treatment or comfort measures
  3. Postpone all care and comfort measures until an X-ray has been completed
  4. Ask the client to rate every symptom in detail before providing any treatment
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Correct answer: Provide pain relief or stabilize the injury before continuing the interview

With acute pain or a recent injury, comfort and stabilization come before the rest of the interview.

Source: Nursing Skills, 2nd edition (Open RN, Chippewa Valley Technical College, 2023), Musculoskeletal Assessment: Subjective Assessment. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.

Practice the topic "Management of Care"

Questions last reviewed: 18 October 2026