The 17-month-old infant is terminally ill with cancer and is in constant pain. The nurse recognizes that the best way to control pain in this child would be for the physician to order:

Question

1. Patient-controlled analgesia with the parents controlling the button that administers the dosage.
2. Intravenously administered opioids on a scheduled basis.
3. Intravenously administered opioids on a prn basis.
4. Parenteral administration controls pain more effectively than oral medication as oral absorption may be modified by stomach activities. In addition, providing analgesics on a scheduled basis is preferred over prn.

Answer 1

2
Rationale 1: PCA should always be controlled by the individual receiving the medication. It is inappropriate to have the parents control the medication administration.
Rationale 2: This provides continuous blood levels of the opioid.
Rationale 3: By waiting until symptoms are present, the child's blood level will drop, making it more difficult to control the pain.
Rationale 4: False
Global Rationale: