NURS 6521 Week 2: Ethical and Legal Aspects of Prescribing<\/span><\/h2>\n

Sample Answer for NURS 6521 Week 2: Ethical and Legal Aspects of Prescribing Included After Question<\/strong><\/em><\/h2>\n

What type of drug should you prescribe based on your patient\u2019s 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 <\/span>you<\/span><\/i> be prescribing drugs to <\/span>this<\/span><\/i> patient?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u2019s lives on a daily basis. 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 \u201cdo no harm.\u201d It is important that you are aware of current professional, legal, and ethical standards for advanced practice nurses with prescriptive authority. In this Discussion, you explore ethical and legal implications of scenarios and consider how to appropriately respond.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Scenario 1:<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

As a nurse practitioner, you prescribe medications for your patients. You make an error when prescribing medication to a 5-year-old patient. Rather than dosing him appropriately, you prescribe a dose suitable for an adult.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Scenario 2:<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

A friend calls and asks you to prescribe a medication for her. You have this autonomy, but you don\u2019t have your friend\u2019s medical history. You write the prescription anyway.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Scenario 3:<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

You see another nurse practitioner writing a prescription for her husband who is not a patient of the nurse practitioner. The prescription is for a narcotic. You can\u2019t decide whether or not to report the incident.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Scenario 4:<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

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\u2019 health conditions and improving their quality of life.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

To prepare:<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

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• Review Chapter 1 of the Arcangelo and Peterson text, as well as articles from the American Nurses Association, Ladd and Hoyt (2016), the Drug Enforcement Administration, and Sabatino et al (2017).<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
• Select one of the four scenarios listed above.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
• Consider the ethical and legal implications of the scenario for all stakeholders involved such as the prescriber, pharmacist, patient, and the patient\u2019s family.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
• 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.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

  With these thoughts in mind:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

  By Day 3<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

  Post<\/span><\/b> an explanation of the ethical and legal implications of the scenario you selected on all stakeholders involved such as the prescriber, pharmacist, patient, and the patient\u2019s family. Describe two strategies that you, as an advanced practice nurse, would use to guide your decision making in this scenario.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

  By Day 6<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

  Read<\/span><\/b> a selection of your colleagues\u2019 responses and <\/span>respond <\/span><\/b>to <\/span>at least two<\/span><\/b> of your colleagues on <\/span>two different days<\/span><\/b> who selected a different scenario than you did, in one or more of the following ways:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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  • Suggest additional ethical and legal implications for all stakeholders in your colleagues\u2019 scenarios.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Offer and support an alternative perspective using readings from the classroom or from your own research in the Walden Library.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Validate an idea with your own experience and additional research.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Note:<\/span><\/b> For this Discussion, you are required to complete your initial post before you will be able to view and respond to your colleagues\u2019 postings. Begin by clicking on the \u201cPost to Discussion Question\u201d link and then select \u201cCreate Thread\u201d to complete your initial post. Remember, once you click on Submit, you cannot delete or edit your own posts, and you cannot post anonymously. Please check your post carefully before clicking on <\/span>Submit!<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    Submission and Grading Information<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

    Grading Criteria\u00a0<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

    Responsibilities are given to him on whom trust rests. Responsibility is always a sign of trust.<\/span>
    \n\u2014James Cash Penney\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    Nurses have been rated the most trusted professionals in the United States (CDC, 2012). With this trust comes a critical responsibility to maintain ethical and legal practices in order to preserve patient safety when treating patients and prescribing drugs. Since the scope of practice for advanced practice nurses is broadening, you will likely encounter new and complex ethical challenges in your clinical settings.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    This week, you explore ethical and legal implications of prescribing drugs including disclosure, nondisclosure, and prescriptive authority. You also examine the process of writing prescriptions to avoid prescription drug errors.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    Learning Objectives<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

    By the end of this week, students will:<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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    • Evaluate ethical and legal implications related to prescribing drugs<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
    • Analyze ethical and legal practices of prescribing drugs<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
    • Evaluate ethical and legal implications of disclosure and nondisclosure<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
    • Analyze the process of writing prescriptions to avoid medication errors<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
    • Understand and apply key terms, concepts, and principles related to ethical and legal aspects of prescribing<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      Photo Credit: erhui1979\/DigitalVision Vectors\/Getty Images<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n