A client who had abdominal surgery is receiving patient controlled analgesia (PCA) intravenously to manage pain. The pump is programmed to deliver a basal dose and bolus doses that can be accessed by the client with a lock-out time frame of 10 minutes. The nurse assesses use of the pump during the last hour and identifies that the client attempted to self-administer the analgesic 10 times. Further assessment reveals that the client is still experiencing pain. What should the nurse do first?
1
Monitor the client’s pain level for another hour.
2
Determine the integrity of the intravenous delivery system.
3
Reprogram the pump to deliver a bolus dose every 8 minutes.
4
Arrange for the client to be evaluated by the health care provider.