A patient not currently in your records walks in at the end of the day reporting severe pain and specifically requests oxycodone, stating it is the only medication that works for him. What is the most appropriate next step?

This presentation includes several recognized drug-seeking behavior red flags (specifically naming a controlled substance by name, insisting it's the only effective option, presenting without prior records, arriving at an inconvenient time). The appropriate response is to still evaluate the patient clinically and, where appropriate, manage pain with an effective non-opioid regimen first (such as combination ibuprofen and acetaminophen) rather than automatically providing the specifically requested controlled substance.