Which finding indicates an intervention for pain management was effective?

• A. An adult client who received medication for pain 30 min ago now has a respiratory rate of 18/min.
• B. A school-age child who received two units of packed red blood cells now has a BP of 76/54 mm Hg.
• C. A toddler who received an antibiotic injection now has a heart rate of 148/min while sleeping in their parent's arms.
• D. An older adult client who received an antipyretic medication 1 hr ago now has a temperature of 38.7° C (101.6° F).

Answer: (A)

A key idea is that effective pain management should relieve pain without causing harmful side effects, especially respiratory depression. A normal respiratory rate after giving pain medication indicates safety and suggests the analgesic achieved relief without depressing breathing. An adult’s rate of 18 breaths per minute is within the typical range (about 12–20), so this finding supports that the intervention was both effective and safe. Other scenarios describe signs that don’t reflect successful pain control—hypotension after a transfusion, tachycardia in a sleeping child, or fever persisting after medication—so they don’t indicate effective analgesia.