The nurse is administering pain medication for a child with continuous pain from internal injuries. Which method would be ordered to dispense the medication?

Question

A) Administer the medication PRN (as needed).
B) Administer the mediation when pain has peaked.
C) Administer the medication around the clock at timed intervals.
D) Administer the medication when the child complains of pain.

Answer 1

Ans: C
With any medication administered for pain management, the timing of administration is vital. Timing depends on the type of pain. For continuous pain, the current recommendation is to administer analgesia around the clock at scheduled intervals to achieve the necessary effect. As-needed or PRN dosing is not recommended for continuous pain. This method can lead to inadequate pain relief because of the delay before the drug reaches its peak effectiveness. For pain that can be predicted or considered temporary, such as with a procedure, analgesia is administered so that the peak action of the drug matches the time of the painful event. It is not recommended to wait until the child complains of pain because therapeutic levels will be difficult to reach at this point.