RN Exam Practice
Basic Care and ComfortQuestion 753 of 2368

A client with an epidural infusion has pain on the left side only. Which nursing action may help?

  1. Position the client with the painful side up
  2. Turn off the infusion for one hour
  3. Position the client with the painful side down
  4. Raise the head of the bed to high Fowler's position
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Correct answer: Position the client with the painful side down

With a one-sided block, placing the painful side down lets gravity help the medication reach those nerves.

Source: Nursing Advanced Skills (Open RN, Chippewa Valley Technical College, 2023), Initiate IV Therapy: Epidural. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.

Practice the topic "Basic Care and Comfort"

Questions last reviewed: 18 October 2026