Question

The wife of a patient you are caring for asks to speak with you. She tells you that she is concerned because her husband is requiring increasingly high doses of analgesia. She states, He was in pain long before he got cancer because he broke his back about 20 years ago. For that problem, though, his pain medicine wasnt just raised and raised. What would be the nurses best response?

1) I didnt know that. I will speak to the doctor about your husbands pain control.
2) Much cancer pain is caused by tumor involvement and needs to be treated in a way that brings the patient relief.
3) Cancer is a chronic kind of pain so the more it hurts the patient, the more medicine we give the patient until it no longer hurts.
4) Does the increasing medication dosage concern you?

Answer 1

An appropriate response would be to explain that cancer pain often requires different treatment strategies from other types of pain and assure her of discussing the concerns with the doctor. The importance of medical supervision when using opioids for pain relief due to associated risks should also be highlighted.

Step-by-step explanation:

When addressing the concerns of a patient's wife regarding the increasing doses of analgesia, it is important to acknowledge her worries and provide information that helps her understand the treatment approach.

"Much cancer pain is caused by tumor involvement and needs to be treated in a way that brings the patient relief," is a suitable response because it directly answers her concern. It's essential to communicate that cancer pain can be very different from other types of pain like the one experienced from a previous back injury. Cancer often causes pain due to the tumor itself, which can lead to increased and different pain management strategies compared to non-cancer pain.

Furthermore, telling her that you will discuss the situation with the doctor can provide assurance that her husband's pain management is being taken seriously. It's also helpful to clarify that while opioids are powerful pain relievers and very effective, they need to be used under strict medical supervision due to risks like side effects and the potential for addiction.