A patient with a primary diagnosis of lung cancer developed bone metastases in recent months and experienced excruciating pain
As a result, the patient was treated with a combination of continuous-release and immediate-release morphine delivered by the oral route. Since yesterday, the patient has experienced a decreased level of consciousness and has become unable to swallow. How should the nurse best manage this patient's analgesia?
A) Opioids should be discontinued because of the patient's decreased level of consciousness.
B) The patient should receive similar doses of morphine by alternative routes.
C) The patient's morphine should be reduced and a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID) introduced.
D) Analgesia should be discontinued because the patient's decreased level of consciousness indicates that his pain has subsided.
B
You might also like to view...
A patient is taking a nasal decongestant. Which of the following medications may dangerously increase the effects of nasal decongestants?
A) Anti-infective agents B) Anti-inflammatory agents C) Proton pump inhibitors D) Thyroid preparations
A geriatric nurse is teaching the client's family about the possible cause of delirium. Which statement by the nurse is most accurate?
1. "Taking multiple medications may lead to adverse interactions or toxicity." 2. "Age-related cognitive changes may lead to alterations in mental status." 3. "Lack of rigorous exercise may lead to decreased cerebral blood flow." 4. "Decreased social interaction may lead to profound isolation and psychosis."
A person suffering from paranoid schizophrenia is discharged from an inpatient facility before community mental health services can be established for him. Which statement most appropriately describes this action?
a. The client has a right to be discharged to the least restrictive environment. b. The client is not competent to be discharged without community mental health resources for his transition to a less restrictive environment. c. The client has a responsibility to ask to remain in the inpatient setting. d. The client will demonstrate improved compliance with treatment once in a less restrictive environment.
When working with Campinha-Bacote's model of cultural competence, the nurse is aware that the most important concept inherent in the model is cultural
a. awareness. b. desire. c. encounters. d. skill.