Health Promotion and Maintenance NCLEX PN Questions Related

Review Health Promotion and Maintenance NCLEX PN Questions related questions and content

When a woman is receiving postpartum epidural morphine, the nurse should plan to observe for which of the following side effects to occur within the first 3 hours?

  • A. nausea and vomiting
  • B. itching
  • C. urinary retention
  • D. somnolence
Correct Answer: B

Rationale: A side effect of postpartum epidural morphine is the onset of itching within 3 hours of injection and lasting up to 10 hours. Nausea and vomiting might occur 4-7 hours after injection. Urinary retention is a side effect of postpartum epidural morphine but is not assessed as such within the first 3 hours. Somnolence is a rare side effect.