A home health client has been taking acetaminophen with codeine,a narcotic analgesic,every 4 hours for pain following a hip arthroplasty.Which of the following statements made by a nurse to the client's physician indicates a need for further education on narcotics?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

It would not be appropriate to ask to decrease the time interval in between doses as the increased use of acetaminophen may be damaging to the client's liver and kidneys.There is no evidence that this client is at risk for developing an addiction.Thus,demanding that this medication be discontinued may be a premature action by the nurse.However,the nurse should monitor the patient closely for signs and symptoms of potential addiction.Rather than adding another medication,the physician may want to consider changing the medication.It would be appropriate to ask the physician for a different medication to possibly assist with the client achieving optimal pain relief.It was once thought that opiods were by far the most effective drugs for pain relief; however,this belief is now being questioned.

A Home Health Client Has Been Taking Acetaminophen with Codeine,a