Rachel Shaw, thanks for your post, is good to know that someone else have the same concern as I have with morphine. Hospice was one of my biggest challenges too at my early days in nursing. Working at a nursing home and rehab facility, morphine was always a scheduled medication for hospice patient, and (Chinn and Kramer fourth edition knowing) i usually do my assessment, listen to my patient and give them the freedom to choose, sometimes I will have to hold, circle and call the hospice nurse and let her know that this medication was not administered at the time as client show no indication for use. Sometimes I will have to call the doctor with my finding and ask the doctor to reassess and reevaluate the patient and have seen some of them come out of hospice after reevaluation, i remember one patient that came out of hospice, live 5yrs after, she was talking and singing, eating regular diet, before and was still alive till left the faciity.
Reference
Chinn, P. L.,