What is the most important question a nurse should ask a client in severe pain?

In evaluating a client in severe pain, asking where the pain is located is vital for several reasons. Understanding the specific location of pain helps the nurse gather crucial information about potential underlying conditions or injuries. For instance, pain in the chest can suggest cardiac issues, while pain in the abdomen might point to gastrointestinal problems. Identifying the pain location is essential for forming a focused assessment and subsequent interventions.

While the other questions also provide valuable insights, they serve different purposes. Describing the pain helps in understanding its quality and nature, the onset reveals how long the client has been suffering, and rating the pain on a scale offers a sense of severity but does not pinpoint a specific area of concern. Therefore, determining the location serves as a foundational step in assessing and managing the client's experience of pain effectively.