ETHICAL AND LEGAL IMPLICATIONS OF PRESCRIBING DRUGS ESSAY

ETHICAL AND LEGAL IMPLICATIONS OF PRESCRIBING DRUGS ESSAY

ETHICAL AND LEGAL IMPLICATIONS OF PRESCRIBING DRUGS ESSAY

Ethical And Legal Implications of Prescribing Drugs

Ethical And Legal Implications of Prescribing Drugs
According to the World Health Organization, approximately one out of ten hospitalized patients get harm that is a result of the healthcare process. Out of the cases, 50% are preventable. It is estimated that every year, there are 421 million hospitalized patients. Of these, 42.7 million adverse effects occur, and medication errors contribute to 18.3% of these cases. In the United States of America, 128,000 deaths are reported every year in hospitals due to prescription drugs. Therefore, healthcare workers must understand the ethical and legal implications of prescribing drugs to patients. This will help in preventing some of these cases.

ORDER A PLAGIARISM-FREE PAPER HERE

Case Scenario
In this case scenario, as a nurse practitioner, I prescribe drugs to a five-year-old patient. In the process, I give an adult dosage instead of the appropriate pediatric dosage. Medicines can treat, cure or prevent illnesses. However, when there is an error in the medication process, either in the prescription or administration, then damages can be caused. There are laws that govern medical management right from prescription, distribution, administration, follow-up, and monitoring, as well as patient education.
Ethical and Legal Implications On Stakeholders
In this case scenario, the nurse practitioner prescribes adult dosage for a pediatric patient. The adult dosage can have adverse effects and cause harm to the patient. This goes contrary to the ethical principle of nonmaleficence. As such, the practitioner can be charged for causing preventable medical harm to the patient. On the part of the pharmacist, there are supposed to counter-check the prescribed drug if appropriate, check the age of the patient, the name as well as the dosage, and ensure that they conform. In this case scenario, the pharmacist has shown negligence by not counterchecking the prescription and may also be liable for a charge for the same violation of the ethical principle of nonmaleficence (Vaismoradi et al., 2021). For the patient, in this case, their right to quality and appropriate medical care has been violated. Their ethical principles have also been violated by being subjected to an adult doing that might cause harm to them. The patient, therefore, has the right to press charges. The implication for the patient’s family is that they can lose trust in the nurse practitioner and the hospital for that mistake. This can make them not seek further medical intervention in the facility. Besides, they can press charges and hold the nurse practitioner, the pharmacist, and the hospital culpable of any damage caused to their child.
Addressing Disclosure and Nondisclosure
Disclosure refers to the communication between the health care provider and the patient, their family, or their proxy acknowledging the fact that an error occurred, explaining the possible effects of the error to the patient, and how it can be addressed. According to the State of Georgia laws and regulations, a nurse shall be reported to the Georgia Board of Nursing if they commit an error that contributed to a patient’s death or harm. Furthermore, a nurse can also be reported to the board if they have committed several minor incidents that would pose a risk to the lives of patients. In this case, I would first accept that an error occurred and report the error to my superior in the hospital as well as the hospital administration (Mansour et al., 2020). Secondly, I would look for the patient, find an appropriate place accompanied by one of my superiors, sit down with the patient and their family and acknowledge the error that occurred. During that meeting, I would explain the kind of error that occurred, why it occurred, and the possible effects of that kind of error on the patient.
Strategies To Guide Decision Making
The two strategies that would guide my decision-making include understanding the rational method of decision-making, which involves the foundation of the patient care process. The second is balancing the care equation by looking at both the subjective and the objective factors (Oliveira et al., 2020). It would be better to understand the patient’s pharmacological history and the experiences they have had before. Besides, I would look at the factors that would affect the patient’s treatment process and help overcome those barriers that would hinder effective therapy. During this process, I would also look at convenience. By looking at all that, the final decision would favor the patient’s interest.
The Process of Writing Prescriptions
According to Nkera-Gutabara and Ragaven (2020), errors that arise as a result of writing prescriptions account for up to 70% of medical errors. Prescription writing is a vital part of the patient care process. The health care provider must evaluate and identify the patient’s problem, define the treatment objectives, choose the appropriate mode of treatment, initiate the treatment process, and give information regarding the treatment modality chosen. A good prescription should have the following components: date of prescription, patient identifiers, the medical regimen, and the prescriber. The patient’s identity includes full name, age, gender, address, and hospital number. The medical regimen includes the name of the drug, the dosage, the mode of administration, and the duration. Finally, the prescriber must include their name and signature.
Conclusion
Medical errors can occur during the process of prescribing drugs. However, most of these errors can be prevented to avoid significant harm to the patient and help improve the quality of health care provided. There are laws that govern the process of health care service provision. Patients’ rights must be protected and the ethical principles upheld all the time. Disclosure is important when an error occurs and the correct procedure and process should be followed when doing this. Healthcare providers are advised to be very keen when providing services to patients to prevent preventable medical errors.

References
Mansour, R., Ammar, K., Al-Tabba, A., Arawi, T., Mansour, A., & Al-Hussaini, M. (2020). Disclosure of medical errors: physicians’ knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) in an oncology center. BMC Medical Ethics, 21(1), 74. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12910-020-00513-2
Nkera-Gutabara, J. G., & Ragaven, L. B. (2020). Adherence to prescription-writing guidelines for outpatients in Southern Gauteng district hospitals. African Journal of Primary Health Care & Family Medicine, 12(1), e1–e11. https://doi.org/10.4102/phcfm.v12i1.2263
Oliveira, I. V., Nascimento, Y. de A., & Ramalho-de-Oliveira, D. (2020). The decision-making process in Comprehensive medication management services: From the understanding to the development of a theoretical model. Pharmacy (Basel, Switzerland), 8(4), 180. https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmacy8040180
Vaismoradi, M., Jordan, S., Logan, P. A., Amaniyan, S., & Glarcher, M. (2021). A systematic review of the legal considerations surrounding medicines management. Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania), 57(1), 65. https://doi.org/10.3390/medicina57010065

ORDER A CUSTOM PAPER NOW

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 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.

ORDER A CUSTOM PAPER NOW

URS_6521_Week1_Assignment_Rubric
NURS_6521_Week1_Assignment_Rubric
Criteria Ratings Pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeExplain 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. 25 to >22.25 pts
Excellent
The response accurately and thoroughly explains in detail the ethical and legal implications of the scenario selected on all stakeholders involved. … The response includes accurate, clear, and detailed explanations as to how these implications affect the prescriber, pharmacist, patient, and the patient’s family. 22.25 to >19.75 pts
Good
The response explains the ethical and legal implications of the scenario selected on all stakeholders involved. … The response includes accurate explanations as to how these implications affect the prescriber, pharmacist, patient, and the patient’s family. 19.75 to >17.25 pts
Fair
The response inaccurately or vaguely explains the ethical and legal implications of the scenario selected for all stakeholders involved. … The response includes vague explanations as to how these implications affect the prescriber, pharmacist, patient, and the patient’s family. 17.25 to >0 pts
Poor
The response vaguely and inaccurately explains the ethical and legal implications of the scenario selected for all stakeholders involved, or the response is missing. … The response vaguely and inaccurately explains how these implications affect the prescriber, pharmacist, patient, and the patient’s family, or is missing.
25 pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeDescribe strategies to address disclosure and nondisclosure as identified in the scenario selected. Be sure to reference laws specific to your state. 20 to >17.8 pts
Excellent
An accurate, detailed, and clear description of strategies to address disclosure and nondisclosure as identified in the scenario selected is provided. … The response includes specific, detailed, and accurate reference to state laws related to the scenario. 17.8 to >15.8 pts
Good
An accurate description of strategies to address disclosure and nondisclosure as identified in the scenario selected is provided. … The response includes accurate reference to state laws related to the scenario. 15.8 to >13.8 pts
Fair
A vague or inaccurate description of strategies to address disclosure and nondisclosure as identified in the scenario selected is provided. … The response includes inaccurate or vague reference to state laws related to the scenario. 13.8 to >0 pts
Poor
A vague and inaccurate description of strategies to address disclosure and nondisclosure as identified in the scenario selected is provided, or is missing. … The response includes vague and inaccurate reference to state laws related to the scenario, or is missing.
20 pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeExplain 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. 20 to >17.8 pts
Excellent
The response accurately and thoroughly explains in detail at least two strategies that an advanced practice nurse would use to guide decision making in the scenario. … The response accurately and completely explains whether they would disclose the error, including an accurate, detailed, and clear justification for the explanation provided. 17.8 to >15.8 pts
Good
The response accurately explains at least two strategies that an advanced practice nurse would use to guide decision making in the scenario. … The response accurately explains whether they would disclose the error, including an accurate justification for the explanation provided. 15.8 to >13.8 pts
Fair
The response inaccurately or vaguely explains at least two strategies that an advanced practice nurse would use to guide decision making in the scenario, or only explains one strategy. … The response inaccurately or vaguely explains whether they would disclose the error, including a justification that is vague, inaccurate, or misaligned to the explanation provided. 13.8 to >0 pts
Poor
The response inaccurately and vaguely explains only one strategy that an advanced practice nurse would use to guide decision making in the scenario, or is missing. … The response inaccurately and vaguely explains whether they would disclose the error, with no justification provided, or is missing.
20 pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeExplain the process of writing prescriptions including strategies to minimize medication errors. 20 to >17.8 pts
Excellent
The response provides an accurate, detailed, and thorough explanation of the process of writing prescriptions, including detailed strategies to minimize medication errors. 17.8 to >15.8 pts
Good
The response provides an accurate explanation of the process of writing prescriptions, including some strategies to minimize medication errors. 15.8 to >13.8 pts
Fair
The response provides an inaccurate or vague explanation of the process of writing prescriptions, including inaccurate or vague strategies to minimize medication errors. 13.8 to >0 pts
Poor
The response provides an inaccurate and vague explanation of the process of writing prescriptions, including inaccurate and vague strategies to minimize medication errors, or is missing.
20 pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeWritten Expression and Formatting – Paragraph Development and Organization: Paragraphs make clear points that support well developed ideas, flow logically, and demonstrate continuity of ideas. Sentences are carefully focused–neither long and rambling nor short and lacking substance. 5 to >4.45 pts
Excellent
Paragraphs and sentences follow writing standards for flow, continuity, and clarity. 4.45 to >3.95 pts
Good
Paragraphs and sentences follow writing standards for flow, continuity, and clarity 80% of the time. 3.95 to >3.45 pts
Fair
Paragraphs and sentences follow writing standards for flow, continuity, and clarity 60%–79% of the time. 3.45 to >0 pts
Poor
Paragraphs and sentences follow writing standards for flow, continuity, and clarity less than 60% of the time.
5 pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeWritten Expression and Formatting – English writing standards: Correct grammar, mechanics, and proper punctuation 5 to >4.45 pts
Excellent
Uses correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation with no errors 4.45 to >3.95 pts
Good
Contains a few (1–2) grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors 3.95 to >3.45 pts
Fair
Contains several (3–4) grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors 3.45 to >0 pts
Poor
Contains many (≥ 5) grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors that interfere with the reader’s understanding
5 pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeWritten Expression and Formatting – The paper follows correct APA format for title page, headings, font, spacing, margins, indentations, page numbers, running head, parenthetical/in-text citations, and reference list. 5 to >4.45 pts
Excellent
Uses correct APA format with no errors 4.45 to >3.95 pts
Good
Contains a few (1–2) APA format errors 3.95 to >3.45 pts
Fair
Contains several (3–4) APA format errors 3.45 to >0 pts
Poor
Contains many (≥ 5) APA format errors
5 pts
Total Points: 100