A school-age client has been receiving morphine every two hours for postoperative pain as ordered. The medication relieves the pain for approximately 90 minutes, and then the pain returns. Which action by the nurse is the most appropriate?
1. Tell the child that pain medication cannot be administered more frequently than every two hours.
2. Reposition the child and quietly leave the room.
3. Inform the parents that the child is dependent on the medication.
4. Call the healthcare provider to see if the child's orders for pain medication can be changed.
Correct Answer: 4
Rationale: The nurse has the responsibility of relieving the child's pain. The child has been receiving the prescribed medication on a regular basis. The healthcare provider should be called to see if the child's orders can be changed. This child might do well with patient-controlled analgesia (PCA). Oral medications such as acetaminophen and NSAIDs can be given with morphine to provide optimum pain relief.
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