The nurse is planning to administer a pain medication to a patient who is 2 hours postoperative following bowel resection surgery. The patient has four standing orders for pain medication
Which medication should the nurse consider providing to the patient at this time?
1. The one that is to be administered intravenously by the patient and is under patient control
2. The one that will be given intramuscularly to work quickly
3. The one that is ordered on a prn basis
4. The one to be administered orally
Correct Answer: 1
Patient-controlled analgesia allows self-management of pain and is a common method of administering postoperative pain medication. The advantages to this method are dose precision, timeliness, and convenience. An oral medication or a prn medication administered 2 hours after a major surgery would not be the most effective. The medication that is administered intramuscularly is not typically recommended for moderate-to-severe pain that will require more than one dose.
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