The nurse is caring for a postoperative patient who 30 minutes prior to transfer from the perianesthesia unit (PACU) received an intravenous analgesic
Pain medication orders are for morphine 10 mg IM every 3 hours PRN. An hour after arrival on the nursing unit, the patient reports pain of 8 on a 0 to 10 pain scale. What action should the nurse take?
a. Explain that intramuscular analgesic cannot be given for another 1.5 hours.
b. Repeat same intravenous medication the patient received in the PACU.
c. Administer the intramuscular medication now and then every 3 hours as ordered.
d. Give the patient nonnarcotic analgesics.
ANS: C
For the first dose of an IM analgesic postoperatively, patients in pain should not have to wait the ordered time interval of the IM dose after an IV analgesic dose (i.e., 3 hr if the IM order is morphine 10 mg IM q3hr PRN). Having to wait when the IV analgesic is no longer effective can cause needless pain.
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