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? How might different state regulations affect the prescribing of this drug 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 every day. 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. Additionally, it is important to ensure that the treatment plans and administration/prescribing of drugs is in accordance with the regulations of the state in which you practice. Understanding how these regulations may affect the prescribing of certain drugs in different states may have a significant impact on your patient’s treatment plan. In this Assignment, you explore ethical and legal implications of scenarios and consider how to appropriately respond.
To Prepare
- Review the Resources for this module and consider the legal and ethical implications of prescribing prescription drugs, disclosure, and nondisclosure.
- Review the scenario assigned by your Instructor for this Assignment.
- Search specific laws and standards for prescribing prescription drugs and for addressing medication errors for your state or region, and reflect on these as you review the scenario assigned by your Instructor.
- Consider the ethical and legal implications of the scenario for all stakeholders involved, such as the prescriber, pharmacist, patient, and 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, including whether you would disclose any medication errors.
Write a 3-page paper that addresses the following:
- Explain the ethical and legal implications of the scenario you selected on all stakeholders involved, such as the prescriber, pharmacist, patient, and patient’s family.
- Describe strategies to address disclosure and nondisclosure as identified in the scenario you selected. Be sure to reference laws specific to your state.
- Explain two strategies that you, as an advanced practice nurse, would use to guide your decision making in this scenario, including whether you would disclose your error. Be sure to justify your explanation.
- Explain the process of writing prescriptions, including strategies to minimize medication errors.
Reminder: The College of Nursing requires that all papers submitted include a title page, introduction, summary, and references.
Expert Solution Preview
In this assignment, you are exploring the ethical and legal implications of prescribing drugs to patients. The considerations include the type of drug to prescribe, the dosage and frequency of administration, when to avoid prescribing the drug, and the potential complications that individual patient factors may pose. You also need to recognize your responsibility as an advanced practice nurse prescribing drugs and the impact of state regulations on your decision-making process.
To address the scenario, begin by explaining the ethical and legal implications for all stakeholders involved, such as the prescriber, pharmacist, patient, and patient’s family. This involves considering the potential risks and benefits of the drug, ensuring informed consent, protecting patient confidentiality, and ensuring the treatment aligns with professional standards and the law.
Next, describe strategies to address disclosure and nondisclosure in the scenario, referencing specific laws relevant to your state. Discuss the importance of open and honest communication with patients and their families, as well as the circumstances in which disclosure of medication errors is necessary.
Additionally, explain two strategies you would use as an advanced practice nurse to guide your decision-making in this scenario. Justify whether you would disclose your error, considering ethical principles, patient safety, and professional obligations.
Finally, explain the process of writing prescriptions and discuss strategies for minimizing medication errors. This could include double-checking dosages, verifying patient allergies, and employing electronic prescription systems to reduce errors.
Remember to structure your paper with a title page, introduction, summary, and references, following the requirements set by the College of Nursing.
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