Assignment

 

Week 1

: 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 indiv

idual 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 migh

t 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.

 

Patient

s 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. U

nderstanding 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.

 

( see below the scenario)

 

·

 

Search specific laws and standards for prescribing prescription drugs and for addressing

medication errors for your state

 

(Florida

)

 

or region, and reflect on these as you review the

scenario assigned by your Instructor.

 

·

 

Consider the ethical and legal implications o

f 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 i

n this scenario, including whether you would

disclose any medication errors.

 

 

 

Scenario 1

:

 

 

 

 

·

 

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.

 

 

Instructions

 

 

Write a 2

 

–

 

3

 

page

s

 

paper that addresses the following:

 

 

1.

 

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.

 

2.

 

Describe strategies to address disclosure and nondisclosure as identified in the scenar

io you

selected. Be sure to reference laws specific to your

state.

 

(

Florida

,

U

nited States

)

 

3.

 

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.

 

 

Assignment Week 1: 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. ( see below the scenario)

 Search specific laws and standards for prescribing prescription drugs and for addressing

medication errors for your state (Florida) 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.

 

 

Scenario 1:

 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.

 

Instructions

 

Write a 2 – 3 pages paper that addresses the following:

 

1. 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.

2. Describe strategies to address disclosure and nondisclosure as identified in the scenario you

selected. Be sure to reference laws specific to your state. (Florida, United States)

3. 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.