title: PAIN Control: IV opioid range orders for acute pain management.
abstract: Patients have the right to adequate and safe pain relief in hospitals, but many continue to experience unrelieved pain. Range orders for the delivery of IV opioids give nurses the flexibility needed to treat patients' pain in a timely manner while allowing for differences in patient response to pain and to analgesia. To ensure safety and effectiveness, and to meet the requirements of accreditation agencies, hospitals should develop prescribing guidelines for IV opioid range orders and clear protocols for their implementation. Range orders should, for example, take into consideration the patient's age, pain intensity, and comorbidities; avoid frequency ranges; and prescribe a maximum dose that is at least two times but no more than four times the minimum dose in the range.
authors.affiliation: cpasero@aol.com
authors.forename: Chris
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pasero
authors.forename: Renee C B
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Manworren
authors.forename: Margo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: McCaffery
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000701:Analgesics, Opioid / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002648:Child; D016292:Procedural Sedation / Q000145:classification; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007591:Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010149:Postoperative Pain / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000451:nursing; D014481:United States
chemical_list: D000701:Analgesics, Opioid