| Interlocutor: SETTING: Hospital Ward |
| Patient: You are 62 years old and recovering from surgery you had yesterday to remove a renal cyst. The operation went well, but you are still experiencing a lot of pain and are reluctant to withdraw from the IV morphine you are on. The nurse has come to counsel you on post-operative pain relief and medication control. TASK When asked, say your wound is still really painful, and you are a bit worried this isn’t normal. Say you haven’t been doing any physical activity, and haven’t really got out of bed because you think it will make the pain worse. Say you will try to do some daily exercise, but only if you can stay on the IV morphine to make sure the pain is under control. Say you are glad you can stay on morphine but admit you don’t really see the difference between the IV and the oral morphine. Say you will speak to the doctor about pain relief when he next comes around to see you. |
| SETTING: Hospital Ward |
| NURSE: Your 62-year-old patient is recovering from surgery he/she had yesterday to remove a renal cyst. The operation went well, but he/she is still experiencing a lot of pain and is reluctant to withdraw from the IV morphine. You have come to counsel the patient on post-operative pain relief and medication control. TASK: Explain reason for seeing patient (discuss post-operative pain relief and medication). Find out how patient is feeling (any changes in pain, concerns, etc.). Reassure patient about pain (e.g., part of healing process, will gradually improve, etc.). Find out if patient has been doing any physical activity. Stress importance of physical activity (e.g., alleviate pain, aid healing, improve blood flow, reduce risk of blood clots, etc.). Make recommendations (daily walks, etc.). Remind patient of importance of withdrawing from IV morphine (e.g., risk of dependency, increased risk of constipation, nausea, vomiting, drowsiness, etc.). Advise on next steps (review morphine dose, change to oral morphine, replace morphine with paracetamol, etc.). Give information about oral morphine (e.g., longer-lasting, slower release, etc.). Advise patient to speak to doctor about pain relief on next ward round. |