How often should the nurse assess pain after administering morphine?

The appropriate timing for assessing pain after administering morphine is crucial for effective pain management. Following the administration of morphine, a nurse typically should assess the patient's pain level within 20-30 minutes. This timeframe is important because morphine is an opioid that generally takes about 20 minutes to start having analgesic effects when given intravenously. While an assessment immediately after administration can provide initial information, it does not truly reflect the drug's effectiveness, as it has not yet had sufficient time to act. Assessing within 10-15 minutes may also be premature and could lead to misunderstandings about the patient's pain management progress as the peak effect might not be reached yet. Frequent assessments, like every hour, while useful, may be too infrequent to appropriately adjust the treatment plan based on the patient's pain levels sooner after morphine administration. Therefore, assessing pain within 20-30 minutes ensures that the patient receives timely adjustments to pain management as needed.