Feb 23, 2024 Ethical and Legal Implications of Prescribing Drugs Discussion
Ethical and Legal Implications of Prescribing Drugs Discussion
A sample Answer For the Assignment: Ethical and Legal Implications of Prescribing Drugs Discussion
Introduction
From the case study, it is clear that any practitioner, especially a nurse practitioner, should adhere to the laws and guidelines put forth by the many states as well as the numerous codes of conduct. In addition to providing comprehensive details on what the state expects from the legislation, strategies on what to do in such an instance or with regard to the subjects covered are also supplied. This essay seeks to provide details that could serve as a roadmap for what to anticipate in the scenario described while abiding by the different laws and regulations set forth by the state. (Rosenthal & Burchum, 2021).
Ethical and Legal Implications on Stakeholders
In the prescription of medication there are several stakeholders that are involved in case of any ethical or legal errors they are likely to be implicated depending on their role. As per the scenario I as the nurse practitioner (NP) will likely to be implicated the most as I am the prescriber in this case. It is expected that the prescriber has sufficient knowledge regarding prescription of medication and therefore a gross mistake as giving a dosage for an adult to a 5-year-ol is unexpected. Such mistakes can lead to severe harm to a patient and therefore the resulting legal implication will also be harsh to the prescribe (Rosenthal & Burchum, 2021).
The pharmacist will be next in incurring the legal implications of such an error. This is due to the fact they are dispensing the medication and as they do so they are to follow expected guidelines and use the knowledge they have gained regarding dispensing medication therefore preventing such errors from impacting the patient.
They should act as a point of verification of the prescribed medication and if any errors are noted refer back to the prescriber to make the necessary adjustments instead of dispensing the medication without question. To the patient the most severe implication that will occur is to their health as the medication in the prescribed dosage is not appropriate and will negatively impact them (Rosenthal & Burchum, 2021).
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Strategies to address Disclosure and Non-disclosure
The appropriate course of action in this situation will be to report the problem, but this will
Ethical and Legal Implications of Prescribing Drugs Discussion
be complicated by the worry that doing so may result in losing one’s employment or position as a nurse practitioner (NP).The prescriber who is the NP is expected to inform the patient, the patient’s family or their legal representative of the error and correct it as soon as possible. In Tennessee medics are expected by law to follow ethical and practice guidelines when disclosing errors.
This involves providing accurate and complete information regarding the error and failure to do so could lead to legal and professional consequences. Each practitioner is accountable for being aware of the rules and laws that apply in the state where they practice. Due to this, in the case of a prescription error occur they should disclose it promptly in an empathetic and compassionate minor while taking measures to mitigate the harm that could occur (Clarke, 2019).
Strategies involved in Decision Making
There are several strategies that one can utilize to guide in the decision making process. Firstly it is expected in order to avoid legal implications the nurse practitioner to disclose that the error occurred so that the patient’s family are able to discuss steps they would like to undertake. Among the strategies that could be beneficial is having a colleague to double check the prescription and the dose given.
This will aid in preventing further errors from occurring as the involved calculations can be confirmed by another knowledgeable health personnel. Another strategy would be to tell the patient of relative to read back the instructions. Through that one will be able to note the incorrectness of the information and make the necessary alterations (Sabatino et al., 2017).
Process of writing Prescriptions
Part of the diagnosis process involves the NP assessing the pinpoint issue of the patient. Review of the disease’s pathophysiology will be among the initial steps in treatment before prescribing the appropriate drug to manage the condition. The NP is charged with the responsibility of identifying possible adverse drug reactions that could occur if a patient utilizes a certain drug as well as the nature of the reactions.
Additionally, the five R’s should be considered that include right drug, right route, right dose, right time and right patient as well as being wary of medications that look or sound alike. Through taking these precautions, situations such as severe side effects and drug mistakes can be significantly avoided (Institute for Safe Medication Practices, 2017).
Conclusion
Therefore, nurse practitioners should exercise caution when writing prescriptions, making sure they follow the correct procedure and are acting within the scope of their authority as well as adhering to the various regulations and laws of the state in which they are located in to ensure they have carried out their duties in accordance with the state’s expectations (Rosenthal & Burchum, 2021).
References
Clarke, P. Case Commentaries (2019).
Institute for Safe Medication Practices. (2017). List of error-prone abbreviations, symbols, and dose designations Links to an external site.. Retrieved from https://www.ismp.org/recommendations/error-prone-abbreviations-list
Rosenthal, L. D., & Burchum, J. R. (2021). Lehne’s pharmacotherapeutics for advanced practice nurses and physician assistants (2nd ed.) St. Louis, MO: Elsevier.
Sabatino, J. A., Pruchnicki, M. C., Sevin, A. M., Barker, E., Green, C. G., & Porter, K. (2017). Improving prescribing practices: A pharmacist‐led educational intervention for nurse practitioner students Links to an external site. Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, 29(5), 248–254. doi:10.1002/2327-6924.12446
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Ethical and Legal Implications of Prescribing Drugs: What type of drug should you prescribe based on your patient’s diagnosis? How much of the drug should the patient receive? How often should the drug be administered? When should the drug not be prescribed? Are there individual patient factors that could create complications when taking the drug? Should you be prescribing drugs to this patient?
These are some of the questions you might consider when selecting a treatment plan for a patient. As an advanced practice nurse prescribing drugs, you are held accountable for people’s lives on a daily basis. Patients and their families will often place trust in you because of your position. With this trust comes power and responsibility, as well as an ethical and legal obligation to “do no harm.” It is important that you are aware of current professional, legal, and ethical standards for advanced practice nurses with prescriptive authority. In this Discussion, you explore ethical and legal implications of scenarios and consider how to appropriately respond.
Scenario 1:
As a nurse practitioner, you prescribe medications for your patients. You make an error when prescribing medication to a 5-year-old patient. Rather than dosing him appropriately, you prescribe a dose suitable for an adult.
Scenario 2:
A friend calls and asks you to prescribe a medication for her. You have this autonomy, but you don’t have your friend’s medical history. You write the prescription anyway.
Scenario 3:
You see another nurse practitioner writing a prescription for her husband who is not a patient of the nurse practitioner. The prescription is for a narcotic. You can’t decide whether or not to report the incident.
Scenario 4:
During your lunch break at the hospital, you read a journal article on pharmacoeconomics. You think of a couple of patients who have recently mentioned their financial difficulties. You wonder if some of the expensive drugs you have prescribed are sufficiently managing the patients’ health conditions and improving their quality of life.
To prepare for Ethical and Legal Implications of Prescribing Drugs:
Review Chapter 1 of the Arcangelo and Peterson text, as well as articles from the American Nurses Association, Anderson and Townsend, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and Philipsend and Soeken.
Select one of the four scenarios listed above.
Consider the ethical and legal implications of the scenario for all stakeholders involved such as the prescriber, pharmacist, patient, and the patient’s family.
Think about two strategies that you, as an advanced practice nurse, would use to guide your ethically and legally responsible decision-making in this scenario.
With these thoughts in mind:
By Day 3 of Ethical and Legal Implications of Prescribing Drugs
Post an explanation of the ethical and legal implications of the scenario you selected on all stakeholders involved such as the prescriber, pharmacist, patient, and the patient’s family. Describe two strategies that you, as an advanced practice nurse, would use to guide your decision making in this scenario.
By Day 6 Ethical and Legal Implications of Prescribing Drugs
Read a selection of your colleagues’ responses and respond to at least two of your colleagues on two different days who selected a different scenario than you did, in one or more of the following ways:
Suggest additional ethical and legal implications for all stakeholders in your colleagues’ scenarios.
Offer and support an alternative perspective using readings from the classroom or from your own research in the Walden Library.
Validate an idea with your own experience and additional research.
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