GoodNurse free practice
NCLEX Question of the Day
Review the question, check the correct answer, and read the rationale before tomorrow's prompt arrives.
A patient with chronic pain is being tapered off long-term opioid therapy. What is a key consideration during this process?
-
Correct answer Gradually reducing the opioid dosage while monitoring for withdrawal symptoms and introducing alternative pain management strategies.
-
Increasing the dosage if the patient reports any breakthrough pain.
-
Avoiding the introduction of non-opioid pain relievers to encourage opioid cessation.
-
Abruptly discontinuing the opioid to expedite the process.
Rationale
Tapering off long-term opioid therapy requires a gradual reduction in dosage to minimize withdrawal symptoms while introducing alternative pain management strategies to effectively manage pain. Other options may lead to severe withdrawal, inadequate pain control, or prolongation of opioid dependency.
GoodNurse AI
Want to talk through why the other options are wrong? Sign up for GoodNurse to ask follow-up questions and get a guided explanation.
Free daily practice
Get the next question.
One NCLEX-style prompt, answer, and rationale in your inbox every morning. No account needed.
Free NCLEX practice. Unsubscribe anytime.