A nurse is preparing a patient for surgery and is teaching the patient about the use of the patient-controlled analgesia pump. The patient voices concern about becoming addicted to morphine. What will the nurse do?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The nurse should remember that addiction to opioids usually occurs in patients who already have tendencies for addiction, so an assessment of previous experiences with addictive substances would be indicated. Postoperative pain should be treated appropriately with medications that are effective. Nonopioid medications are not sufficient to treat postoperative pain. Patients should be encouraged to use the PCA as needed so that pain can be controlled in a timely fashion. PRN dosing is not as effective as dosing that is continuous, so a basal dose should be given as well as a PRN dose.

A Nurse Is Preparing a Patient for Surgery and Is