Sore knee and a stained dressing after joint surgery
NZ nursing OSCE practice station
Pain management · 2 min to read · 8 min to perform
Sione Havea, aged 63, had a right total knee replacement yesterday.
Sione HaveaSorry to bother you, nurse. It's a bit sore.
Free · no sign-up · uses your one free station
Open the full station (charts, voice, result letter) →The task
You are the nurse on an orthopaedic ward. Sione Havea, aged 63, had a right total knee replacement yesterday. He has pressed his call bell and a health care assistant has told you he is uncomfortable. His medicine chart and a progress note are provided. Introduce yourself, confirm his identity and assess his pain and his knee, including the wound dressing and circulation to the foot. Decide on safe analgesia from the chart, any non-drug measures and who must be told. Record your assessment and plan in the progress note.
What this station tests
- Check the allergy and the exact prescription before giving analgesia.
- Use a pain score at rest and on movement, and ask how pain limits function.
- Check respiratory rate and sedation before and after opioids.
- Do a neurovascular check of the limb after joint surgery.
- Reassess pain after every intervention.
Sources for the clinical content
- Medsafe data sheet: OxyNorm (oxycodone) capsules and oral solution
- Healthify: oxycodone
- Healthify: knee replacement
An original practice scenario with invented patients. Not an exam question.