[Schmoo1022]

Be proud of your title. You are doing your job well. Unfortunately, I have seen the same thing as The Commuter in my facility. Anyone giving frequent narcs are under a watchful eye. I don't give a rats a$$, because I assess the pt.and if I feel it is needed, they are medicated and I document to back it up.
These poor dementia Pts need your good assessment skills!!

[TrudyRN]

I think you're right on. Bless you for caring for our frail elderly loved ones. They deserve excellent care and it sounds like your patients are blessed to have you.

[msnursekim]

Thanks to all of ya'll for making me feel better! I was doubting myself there for a while...good thing came from this. Have new grads on duty that read the site and have started asking me questions on how to pick up on body language with access of demented patients...getting some good teaching in. thanks again "the Tylenol Queen"

[one2one]

I absolutely agree with give Tylenol and other PRN meds based on the asessment- if they need something-give it regardless of what other nurses might say. I've worked PRN in a longterm care facility for many of my nursing years. I've also found that if you have pt who aren't sleeping at noc may need pain meds. I also discovered that they may not be sleeping well because they are cold. I was surprised how many people would go to sleep just by putting a warm pair of cotton socks on their feet. It works wonders.

[lisamc1]

I agree with the others. It's a title to be proud of! I, too, give more pain meds than most. There is one case in particular that no one was giving this patient any pain meds because she couldn't ask for them. Everyone assumed her agitation and her constant state of of diaphoresis were due to her diagnoses and side effects of medications. After a week of medicating this patient with regular tylenol, the diaphoresis was almost nonexistent and the agitation had significantly reduced. She now has a routine pain med and she is like a totally different person. I truly believe that we are guilty of UNDERmedicating for pain than we are of overmedicating.