What is a nursing intervention when administering morphine?

• A. Administer before peak pain
• B. Check for pinpoint pupils for overdose
• C. Monitor GI and urinary status
• D. Withhold if patient is sleeping

Answer: (D)

Morphine requires careful safety monitoring because it can depress the central nervous system and respiration. A key nursing action is to withhold the dose if the patient is sleeping, since sleep indicates a level of CNS depression and you need to assess airway status and breathing before giving more opioid. Administering a dose to someone who is asleep could mask respiratory compromise and make it hard to gauge pain relief or adverse effects. Once the patient is awake and breathing adequately, you can reassess pain and continue with the plan as ordered. Other important aspects include checking pain levels before giving the medication and monitoring gastrointestinal and urinary function, since opioids commonly cause constipation and urinary retention; while pinpoint pupils can signal overdose, the immediate safety step when a patient is sleeping is to delay the dose until a safe, supervised assessment can be performed.