The nurse cares for a terminally ill patient with continuous, severe pain. How should analgesics be scheduled?

• A. Plan around-the-clock routine administration of analgesics.
• B. Provide PRN doses of medication whenever the patient requests them.
• C. Suggest small analgesic doses to avoid decreasing the respiratory rate.
• D. Offer enough pain medication to keep the patient sedated and unaware of stimuli.

Answer: (A)