A hospice patient is taking rather strong narcotics with good pain control, but today the patient's family tells the nurse that the client does not want to become addicted. Which of the following is the best response by the nurse?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The key to successful pain control for the terminally ill is to convince patients to take their medications on a regular basis. Many patients, especially the elderly, are afraid of becoming "junkies" or "druggies" and want to delay using pain medication until they "get really bad." Many people believe that using these medications signals "the end of the line," and they are amazed to learn that patients do well while receiving this drug for months, even years, before death occurs. Almost every family must learn that addiction is not the same as tolerance and that their physicians will not "cut off their supply if they take too much."

A Hospice Patient Is Taking Rather Strong Narcotics with Good