The American journal of nursing
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Case Reports
Prescription Opioid Analgesics: Promoting Patient Safety with Better Patient Education.
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. ⋯ 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.