Abstract
Patients expect and deserve adequate postoperative pain relief. Opioid analgesics are widely used and effective in controlling postoperative pain, but their use poses risks that many patients don't understand and that all too often result in adverse outcomes. Inappropriate and often dangerous use of prescription medication has increased sharply in the past two decades in the United States. Patients and caregivers must have an adequate understanding of safe use, storage, and disposal of opioids to prevent adverse drug events in patients and others. Nurses play a key role in providing this patient education. This article provides a case study that highlights the risks and important aspects of opioid medication use in the postoperative patient.
MeSH terms
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Adult
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Analgesics, Opioid / administration & dosage
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Analgesics, Opioid / adverse effects*
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Analgesics, Opioid / therapeutic use
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Drug Tolerance
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Female
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Humans
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Ileostomy / adverse effects
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Ileostomy / methods
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Ileostomy / nursing
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Opioid-Related Disorders / etiology
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Opioid-Related Disorders / prevention & control*
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Pain, Postoperative / drug therapy*
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Pain, Postoperative / nursing
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Pain, Postoperative / prevention & control
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Patient Discharge / standards
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Patient Education as Topic / methods
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Patient Education as Topic / standards*
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Patient Safety / standards*
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Prescription Drug Misuse / adverse effects
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Prescription Drug Misuse / prevention & control*
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Prescription Drugs / adverse effects
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Prescription Drugs / therapeutic use
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Reoperation / adverse effects
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Reoperation / nursing
Substances
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Analgesics, Opioid
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Prescription Drugs