A 47-year-old woman is coming to the medical-surgical floor from the emergency department for observation of a severely broken leg
The medical-surgical nurse reviews her PRN medications and sees that she has an NSAID (ibuprofen) ordered every 4 hours. If she wanted to implement preventative pain measures when the patient arrives, the nurse would:
A) Check for allergies, use a pain scale to assess the patient's pain, and let the patient know ibuprofen is available every 4 hours if she needs it.
B) Do a complete assessment and give pain medication based on the patient's report of pain.
C) Check for allergies, use a pain scale to assess the patient's pain and offer the ibuprofen every 4 hours until the patient is discharged.
D) Provide medication as per patient request and offer relaxation techniques to promote comfort.
Ans: C
Feedback: One way to implement preventative pain measures is by using PRN medications on a more regular or scheduled basis to allow for more uniform pain control. Smaller drug doses of medication are needed with the preventative pain method when PRN medications are given around the clock. Options A and B are incorrect; letting the patient know ibuprofen is available every 4 hours if she needs it or when she reports pain is simply offering the medication as needed (PRN). Option D is incorrect; again, providing medication as per patient request is simply offering the medication PRN, although offering relaxation techniques to promote comfort would work well along with preventative pain measures.
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