A client with a terminal illness was ingesting morphine sulfate 10 mg by mouth every 6 hours for pain

Question

To ensure that the client receives the same degree of pain control when delivering the same medication through the intravenous route, which of the following should the nurse do?
1. Provide morphine sulfate 10 mg intravenous every 6 hours.
2. Provide morphine sulfate 20 mg intravenous every 4 hours.
3. Provide a different medication since morphine sulfate cannot be given through the intravenous route.
4. Consult a dose equivalent table to determine the dose of morphine sulfate the client will need through the intravenous route.

Answer 1

4
Dose equivalent tables should be used by the nurse when analgesics or the routes of administration are changed. The nurse should not provide the same dosage of the medication through the intravenous route since this may be too much. Morphine sulfate can be administered through the intravenous route.