Prescribing and Administering Opioid Doses Based Solely on Pain Intensity: Update of a Position Statement by the American Society for Pain Management NursingⓇ

Abstract

Prescribing and administering opioid doses based solely on pain intensity is inappropriate and potentially unsafe for many reasons, including that pain intensity ratings are completely subjective, cannot be measured objectively, are dynamic as the experience of pain is dynamic, and may be describing a construct other than intensity (i.e. suffering). Many factors, in addition to pain intensity, influence opioid requirements and subsequent dosing. The American Society for Pain Management Nursing (ASPMN) holds the position that the practice of prescribing and administering doses of opioid analgesics based solely on a patient’s pain intensity should be prohibited because it disregards the relevance of other essential elements of assessment and may contribute to negative patient outcomes.