A nurse evaluates a client's patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) pump and notices 100 attempts within a 30-minute period. Which is the best rationale for assessing this client for substance use disorder?
A. Narcotic pain medication is contraindicated for all clients with active substance-use problems.
B. Clients who are regularly using alcohol or benzodiazepines may have developed cross-tolerance to analgesics and require increased doses to achieve effective pain control.
C. There is no need to assess the client for substance use disorder. There is an obvious PCA malfunction.
D. The client is experiencing symptoms of withdrawal and needs to be accurately assessed for lorazepam (Ativan) dosage.
B
The nurse should assess the client for substance use disorder because clients who are regularly using alcohol or benzodiazepines may have developed cross-tolerance to analgesics and require increased doses to achieve effective pain control. Cross-tolerance occurs when one drug lessens the client's response to another drug.
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