Question

A client has been admitted to a post-surgical unit with a patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) system. Which statement is true of this medication delivery system?

a) Thorough client education is necessary to prevent overdoses.
b) The dose that is delivered when the client activates the machine is preset.
c) An antidote is automatically delivered if the client exceeds the recommended dose.
d) Use of opioid analgesics in a PCA is contraindicated due to the risk of respiratory depression.

Answer 1

A patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) system requires thorough client education to prevent overdoses.

Step-by-step explanation:

A patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) system is a medication delivery system used to manage pain in post-surgical patients. The correct statement about this system is a) Thorough client education is necessary to prevent overdoses. Patients need to be educated about the proper use of the PCA machine to prevent accidental overdoses. The dose delivered when the client activates the machine is not preset (option b). An antidote is not automatically delivered if the client exceeds the recommended dose (option c). Opioid analgesics can be used in a PCA system, but close monitoring is necessary due to the risk of respiratory depression (option d).