The nurse is administering analgesic medication to a group of clients. Which of the following is most correct regarding the ethical issues in pain management?
1. Pain should be managed to improve the patient's quality of life.
2. Opiates are not recommended for patients with addiction issues.
3. Patients with psychiatric diseases should avoid opiates for malignant pain.
4. The nurse should be certain pain is present prior to administering opiates.
Pain should be managed to improve the patient's quality of life.
Rationale: The purpose of effective pain management is to relieve/reduce pain to improve the quality of life. Opiates may be needed in clients with addiction issues if severe pain is present; the dosage is adjusted to include the daily intake, plus additional medicine to control pain. Patients with psychiatric disorders will still experience pain and are entitled to equivalent pain relief of those without psychiatric disorders. If the nurse follows the definition of pain as what the client describes, then the nurse's role is to respond to the clients' report of pain.
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