A patient who is receiving care for osteosarcoma has been experiencing severe pain since being diagnosed. As a result, the patient has been receiving analgesics on both a scheduled and PRN basis
For the past several hours, however, the patient's level of consciousness has declined and she is now unresponsive. How should the patient's pain control regimen be affected?
A) The patient's pain control regimen should be continued.
B) The pain control regimen should be placed on hold until the patient's level of consciousness improves.
C) IV analgesics should be withheld and replaced with transdermal analgesics.
D) The patient's analgesic dosages should be reduced by approximately one half.
Ans: A
Feedback:
Pain should be aggressively treated, even if dying patients become unable to verbally report their pain. There is no need to forego the IV route. There is no specific need to discontinue the pain control regiment or to reduce it.
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