NURS 6521 Week 1 Assignment: Ethical and Legal Implications of Prescribing Drugs
For this NURS 6521 Week 1 Assignment you will be using the following case scenario for your discussion
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.
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? NURS 6521 Week 1 Assignment
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.
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.
By Day 7 of Week 1
Write a 2- to 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.
Solution:
NURS 6521 Week 1 Assignment Answer
Exploring the Ethical and Legal Aspects of Drug Prescription
In the realm of healthcare, advanced practice nurses shoulder the critical responsibility of prescribing medications, a task that necessitates astute decision-making to safeguard against potential medication-related errors. As emphasized by Mitchell and Oliphant (2016), registered nurses’ competence hinges upon their up-to-date knowledge of medications, especially specialized drugs within the healthcare market, alongside a deep consideration of the ethical and legal implications inherent in the act of prescription. Therefore, this discussion delves into a comprehensive examination of the legal and ethical facets associated with prescription practices, underscored by a specific scenario. Moreover, it explores strategies for addressing both disclosure and non-disclosure within this scenario, elucidates the decision-making process, and outlines the procedure for prescription preparation, all with a steadfast focus on minimizing medical errors. NURS 6521 Week 1 Assignment
Ethical and Legal Dimensions
The scenario at hand revolves around the predicament of patients grappling with financial constraints and raising concerns about the efficacy of recently prescribed costly medications. Within this context, the prescriber faces an array of legal ramifications, including the specter of criminal charges, civil litigation, and potential disciplinary actions by the medical board. As per Florida and Senate (2011), nurse practitioners could be subject to penalties for any transgressions related to drug prescription, particularly when such actions have resulted in harm or injury to the patient (s. 766.202). Inappropriately prescribed medications often stem from erroneous clinical decisions, thereby adding to the legal jeopardy faced by the healthcare provider. Furthermore, this scenario may prompt regulatory bodies to take corrective actions to safeguard patient well-being and uphold the standards of ethical healthcare practice. NURS 6521 Week 1 Assignment
References:
Mitchell, P. H., & Oliphant, C. S. (2016). Core curriculum for critical care nursing (7th ed.). Elsevier Saunders.
Florida, Senate. (2011). The 2011 Florida Statutes: Title XLIII, Chapter 766, Section 202. Retrieved from http://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0700-0799/0766/Sections/0766.202.html
