Ethical and Legal Implications of Prescribing Drugs
Before prescribing medicine, a nurse practitioner is responsible for obtaining a detailed medical history and conducting a physical examination on the patient. There are many elements that the NP must evaluate after a medicine has been selected, including variations in action, adverse effects, interactions, ease of administration (route), efficacy, and cost. In addition, there are ethical aspects to take into account. Studies indicate that most nurse practitioners seem obligated to prescribe drugs since patients assume that taking a pill would resolve their illness Ethical and Legal Implications of Prescribing Drugs.
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Ethical and Legal Implications
When it comes to prescriptions to friends, there are a number of considerations to take into account. As a starting point, what does the state’s legislation say about nurse practitioners’ prescription power? Second, are there any provisions in the laws of state nursing boards that handle this issue? According to Kentucky laws, a partnership contract must be approved by both the nurse practitioner and the doctor. There are penalties for violating Kentucky Nursing Laws by prescribing medication without the proper certification (Kentucky Board of Nursing, 2016). Before prescribing drugs in Kentucky, a legitimate practitioner-patient rapport must be established, which entails a physical examination. Ethical and Legal Implications of Prescribing Drugs
Nurse Practitioner: The nurse practitioner who prescribes medication to their friend without first understanding about their health history is jeopardizing their license. There is usually the possibility of experiencing an unpleasant response that might be lethal.
Pharmacist: Prescribers undertake assessments and acquire histories of their patients, and pharmacists issue prescriptions under the assumption that the prescription is essential. The pharmacist’s license will be jeopardized if the prescription is filled on the basis of this premise.
Patient and Family: Clinicians who prescribe medicines to friends without knowing their medical history and potential reactions expose the patient to a risk of serious complications. The patient and their family might file a lawsuit against the NP if there was an adverse response.
Decision-Making Guides
The rational prescription approach is one guideline that I would follow. Rational prescription, according to the World Health Organization, demands that clients get medicines that are suitable for their medical requirements, in dosages that satisfy their own unique needs for an appropriate timescale, and at the minimum possible cost to them and their communities (Ouellet et al., 2018). Second, I would utilize the prescriptive decision-making model to guide my actions and decisions. It takes into account the patient and their family, as well as various specific interest groups, coworkers, and the professional field as a whole (Ouellet et al., 2018)Ethical and Legal Implications of Prescribing Drugs.
Processes of Writing Prescriptions and Strategies to Minimize Medication Errors
When writing prescriptions, it is important to be mindful of the need to minimize distractions and to include all of the essential aspects that make up a comprehensive prescription in order to avoid drug mistakes. Using readable handwriting, using metric measurement, taking the client’s weight and age into consideration for proper dose, avoiding medication acronyms, rechecking high-risk drugs with regard to dosage and timing, taking note of the length of the treatment, redoing all dosage calculations, and seeking another practitioner to verify them, and consulting the pharmacist if one is not confident about the dosage are some techniques to prevent medication errors (Tariq et al., 2020)Ethical and Legal Implications of Prescribing Drugs.
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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 Ethical and Legal Implications of Prescribing Drugs.
References
Kentucky Board of Nursing. (2016). APRN prescription authority for nonscheduled legend drugs and CAPA-NS. https://www.kbn.ky.gov/apply/pages/APRN/aprnprescription.aspx
Ouellet, G. M., Ouellet, J. A., & Tinetti, M. E. (2018). Principle of rational prescribing and deprescribing in older adults with multiple chronic conditions. Therapeutic Advances in Drug Safety, 9(11), 639-652. https://doi.org/10.1177/2042098618791371
Tariq, R. A., Vashisht, R., & Scherbak, Y. (2020). Medication Errors. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK519065/ Ethical and Legal Implications of Prescribing Drugs