Question

You have just received a report on a 27-year-old woman who is coming to your unit from the emergency department with a torn meniscus. You review her PRN medications and see that she has an NSAID (ibuprofen) ordered every 6 hours. If you wanted to implement preventive pain measures when the patient arrives at your unit, what would you do?

a) Use a pain scale to assess the patient's pain, and let the patient know ibuprofen is available every 6 hours if she needs it.
b) Do a complete assessment, and give pain medication based on the patient's report of pain.
c) Check for allergies, use a pain scale to assess the patient's pain, and offer the ibuprofen every 6 hours until the patient is discharged.
d) Provide medication as per the patient's request and offer relaxation techniques to promote comfort.

Answer 1

To implement preventive pain measures for a patient with a torn meniscus, it is best to check for allergies, use a pain scale to assess the patient's pain, and offer ibuprofen every 6 hours until discharge.

Step-by-step explanation:

• To implement preventive pain measures for a 27-year-old woman with a torn meniscus, the best option would be to check for allergies, use a pain scale to assess the patient's pain, and offer the ibuprofen every 6 hours until the patient is discharged (option c).
• Using a pain scale to assess the patient's pain is important to determine the level of pain and the effectiveness of the pain medication. Checking for allergies is crucial to ensure the patient can safely take ibuprofen. Offering the ibuprofen every 6 hours until discharge ensures pain relief throughout the patient's stay.