Question

The nurse is caring for a postoperative client. The health care provider has written a prescription for a pain medication, and the prescription gives a dosage range for the amount the nurse may give depending on the severity of the client's pain. This type of functioning within the health care team is called:

1) collaborative functioning
2) assistive functioning
3) authoritative functioning
4) independent functioning

Answer 1

The nurse's role to administer a variable dosage of pain medication as prescribed falls under collaborative functioning, which is a joint effort within the healthcare team to deliver individualized patient care.

Step-by-step explanation:

The type of functioning within the health care team, where a nurse is given a prescription with a dosage range to administer based on the severity of a patient's pain, is called collaborative functioning. This approach requires the nurse to assess the patient's level of pain and make a judgment on the appropriate dosage within the prescribed range. It is an example of the interdisciplinary teamwork necessary in health care, often involving various professionals like surgeons, anesthesiologists, and nurses, to ensure the patient's care is comprehensive and effective.

Typical prescription medications for pain relief can include anti-inflammatory drugs like aspirin, analgesics, and opioids such as morphine and oxycodone. These medications are carefully chosen and prescribed to manage a patient's pain postoperatively.

Furthermore, understanding the conversion of medication units, like converting 0.2 g of aspirin to 200 mg, is an important skill for a nurse to ensure the correct dosage. Prescription opioids have many side effects and risks of addiction, abuse, and overdose, which requires careful assessment and monitoring by health care professionals.