The nurse is caring for a cancer patient with ongoing pain from widespread metastasis to her bones. The nurse notes that the patient's morphine dosage had to be increased to sufficiently manage her discomfort

Question

What is the nurse's interpretation of this assessment finding?
a.
The patient became tolerant to the previous morphine dosage.
b.
The patient is becoming addicted to her pain medication.
c.
The patient has been abusing her prescribed pain medications.
d.
The patient is seeking to end her life with an overdose of morphine.

Answer 1

ANS: A
The patient is requiring higher doses of narcotic pain medication because her body has become tolerant to the medication. This is common when patients require long-term pain medication. Since the patient is taking morphine to control ongoing pain, the patient is not addicted to it. Need for increased morphine dosage is not indicative of drug abuse or a wish to end her life.