Case Study Ch 26 Narecotics, Narcotic Antagonistists

The nurse administers an oral opioid analgesic to a client at 6 PM for pain documented as 6 on a scale of 0 to 10. At 6:30 PM, the client states that the pain level is 3 on a scale of 0 to 10, and that level is acceptable to him. The client asks the nurse why another assessment was necessary after the administration of the pain medication. What is the nurse’s best response to this client about proper pain management?“We assess every client in relation to pain, initially to determine appropriate interventions and later to determine whether the interventions were effective in preventing or relieving pain.”

Opioid analgesics are used primarily for the treatment of which of the following? Select all that apply: 

• Moderate chronic pain
• Mild acute pain
• Severe acute pain

A nurse is caring for a patient with chronic pain who has been prescribed epidural analgesia. The nurse should monitor the patient for which of the following conditions after insertion of the epidural catheter and throughout the therapy? Respiratory depression. The nurse should closely monitor the patient for respiratory depression after insertion of the epidural catheter and throughout the therapy. Patients using epidural analgesics for chronic pain are monitored for respiratory problems with an apnea monitor. The patient may also experience sedation, confusion, nausea, pruritus, or urinary retention. The nurse need not monitor the patient for abdominal pain, fever, and nervousness because they do not occur as a result of the administration of epidural analgesia.