If a patient requires six rescue doses for breakthrough pain in a 24-hour period, what would be an appropriate intervention?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

If a patient requires six rescue doses in a 24-hour period, it suggests that their baseline long-acting medication dose is not adequately controlling their pain. Therefore, the appropriate intervention would be to increase the dose of the long-acting medication to provide better pain control throughout the day. Simply increasing the dose of the rescue short-acting medication may lead to increased side effects and is not a long-term solution. Switching to a different rescue medication may be an option, but addressing the underlying issue with the long-acting medication should be the first step. Doing nothing would not be appropriate if the patient is experiencing breakthrough pain.

If a Patient Requires Six Rescue Doses for Breakthrough Pain