Narcotic Use in the Hospital: Reasonably Safe?

Abstract

The causes of overdoses are not limited to prescribing and administration errors. Some patients, despite proper execution of appropriate orders, develop a narcotic overdose. Caregivers must be aware of this problem and monitor patients for a decrease in mental status and respiratory rate. In addition, we conclude that an important number of hospitalized patients develop an overdose even though the frequency is low related to the number of patients receiving narcotics.