The nurse is caring for a client who is reporting severe postoperative pain.The physician's order states that the client is to receive "hydromorphone hydrochloride (Dilaudid)10-15 mg every 1-2 hours PRN pain." What is the nurse's priority action?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The order must be clarified before the medication is given because the Dilaudid dosage is beyond safe parameters.The nurse can consult the pharmacist,but then would still need to call the physician to determine the specific route of administration and eliminate the "ranges" in the order.Refusing to give the medication will not help the client obtain pain relief.

The Nurse Is Caring for a Client Who Is Reporting