Your client was prescribed a narcotic, every four hours, for post-surgical pain. When you arrive in his room to give him the medication, he refuses it. He is alert, oriented and does not seem in distress. What should you do?
A)Return the medication to the med room, then chart the refusal, and the reason the client gave, on the client's chart.
B)Become stern with the client and tell him he must take the medication the doctor has ordered.
C)Try to calmly and politely talk him into taking the medication.
D)Shrug your shoulders and just leave the client's room. Later, you can chart that he refused his medication.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Every client has a right to accept or refuse care on their terms. This client was alert, coherent, and in no apparent distress, so the nurse needs to respect the client's decision. The nurse should chart all the details on the client's chart as soon as possible

Your Client Was Prescribed a Narcotic, Every Four Hours, for Post-Surgical