As an advanced practice nurse prescribing drugs, you are responsible for the safety of your patients each day. The prescriber is responsible for ensuring that any medical intervention they propose will align with the ethical and legal guidelines. The nurse practitioner must be knowledgeable about the most recent rules governing advanced practice nurses with the power to prescribe.
According to Rosenthal and Burchum (2021), writing prescriptions should prioritize patient safety and minimize medication errors through thorough assessment, clear documentation, electronic prescribing systems, and ongoing monitoring. The prescriber should ensure that any intervention taken has to account for the patient’s wishes and those of the family members and the primary caregivers.
From the scenario, as an advanced nursing practitioner, prescribing medication makes the nurse face ethical and legal responsibilities. Ethically, the prescriber must prioritize AC’s best interests and respect his autonomy. The prescriber should consider the principle of beneficence by providing appropriate and necessary treatment.
They should also respect AC’s autonomy by ensuring his values and wishes are considered, even without advanced directives (Rosenthal & Burchum, 2021). Legally, the prescriber must follow applicable laws and regulations regarding informed consent, decision-making capacity, and end-of-life care.
The pharmacist has ethical and legal obligations as well. Ethically, the pharmacist should prioritize patient welfare and respect the autonomy of AC. They should ensure that the prescribed medications are appropriate, safe, and effective. The pharmacist may also play a role in counseling the patient’s family about the potential benefits, risks, and alternatives to treatment options. Legally, the pharmacist must adhere to laws and regulations related to medication dispensing, patient privacy, and confidentiality (Rosenthal & Burchum, 2021).
Although unresponsive and unable to communicate, AC has the ethical right to receive appropriate and compassionate care. The ethical principle of autonomy requires that AC’s values and wishes, as expressed by his family, be considered (American Geriatrics Society, 2019). If AC had previously expressed his wishes regarding end-of-life care, those should be respected. The healthcare team must act in his best interests if his wishes are unknown.
The wife and daughter have emotional and ethical involvement in AC’s care. Ethically, the wife’s belief that AC would not want to live in his current state should be respected, as it aligns with the principle of autonomy. The daughter’s belief that AC should be kept alive raises questions about the balance between hope and futility. Ethical discussions and family meetings can help address their concerns, consider AC’s values, and reach a consensus regarding his care.
Whether to disclose the error should be carefully considered, considering the potential impact on the patient, their family, and the healthcare team. Justification for disclosing the error may include promoting transparency, maintaining trust, and involving the patient and family in decision-making (Rosenthal & Burchum, 2021). However, it is important to consult legal and institutional policies to ensure compliance with disclosure requirements specific to the jurisdiction.
The case scenario presented ethical and legal implications for all stakeholders involved, including the prescriber, pharmacist, patient, and patient’s family. The conflicting perspectives regarding end-of-life care highlighted the importance of open communication, shared decision-making, and respecting patient autonomy. Strategies such as ethical reflection, adherence to professional standards, and consultation with ethics committees or legal counsel can guide decision-making in complex situations.
Additionally, the process of writing prescriptions should prioritize patient safety and minimize medication errors through thorough assessment, clear documentation, electronic prescribing systems, and ongoing monitoring. By considering the ethical and legal aspects while implementing strategies to minimize errors, healthcare professionals can provide compassionate and appropriate care in challenging situations.
American Geriatrics Society. (2019). Beers Criteria Update Expert Panel. (2019). American Geriatrics Society 2019 updated AGS Beers criteria for potentially inappropriate medication use in older adults. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society Download Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 67(4), 674–694. https://doi.org/10.1111/jgs.15767
Rosenthal, L. D., & Burchum, J. R. (2021). Lehne’s pharmacotherapeutics for advanced practice nurses and physician assistants (2nd ed.) St. Louis, MO: Elsevier. https://evolve.elsevier.com/cs/product/9780323554954
Shojaei, A., & Salari, P. (2020). COVID-19 and off-label use of drugs: an ethical viewpoint. DARU Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 28, 789-793. https://www.mdpi.com/1383694
Also read:
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How do beta-blockers work? What exactly do antibiotics do to the bacteria they target? What effects does an anti-depressant have on blood flow?
Questions like these are related to the underlying pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic processes of pharmacotherapeutics. As an advanced practice nurse, understanding these fundamental pharmacotherapeutic concepts is important to ensure that the prescription drugs you recommend for your patients will be safe and effective to treat and/or manage their symptoms. Additionally, as the advanced practice nurse, it is your responsibility to ensure that when prescribing prescription drugs, you adhere to the ethical and legal principles set forth for prescribing drugs as an added layer of protection and safety for the patients you will treat.
This week, you will analyze factors that may influence pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamics processes of a patient and assess the details of a personalized plan of care that you develop based on influencing factors and patient history. You will also evaluate and analyze ethical and legal implications and practices related to prescribing drugs, including disclosure and nondisclosure, and analyze the process of writing prescriptions to avoid medication errors.
Students will:
Required Readings
American Geriatrics Society 2019 updated AGS Beers criteria for potentially inappropriate medication use in older adults by American Geriatrics Society, in Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, Vol. 67/Issue 4. Copyright 2019 by Blackwell Publishing. Reprinted by permission of Blackwell Publishing via the Copyright Clearance Center.
This article is an update to the Beers Criteria, which includes lists of potentially inappropriate medications to be avoided in older adults as well as newly added criteria that lists select drugs that should be avoided or have their dose adjusted based on the individual’s kidney function and select drug-drug interactions documented to be associated with harms in older adults.
This website outlines the code of federal regulations for prescription drugs.
This website outlines the schedules for controlled substances, including prescriptive authority for each schedule.
This website provides a list of prescription-writing abbreviations that might lead to misinterpretation, as well as suggestions for preventing resulting errors.
The authors of this article assess the impact of a pharmacist?led educational intervention on family nurse practitioner (FNP) students’ prescribing skills, perception of preparedness to prescribe, and perception of pharmacist as collaborator.
Required Media
Introduction to Advanced Pharmacology
Time Estimate: 8 minutes
Note: This media program is approximately 18 minutes.
Note: This media program is approximately 14 minutes.
To prepare:
BY DAY 3 OF WEEK 1
Post a description of the patient case from your experiences, observations, and/or clinical practice from the last 5 years. Then, describe factors that might have influenced pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic processes of the patient you identified. Finally, explain details of the personalized plan of care that you would develop based on influencing factors and patient history in your case. Be specific and provide examples.
While working at a medical ward in my 4th year of practice, I encountered a 72-year-old male named Mr. Smith. The patient had been in the ward for over a month and presented with hypertension and chronic kidney disease. His blood pressure was through the roof as he had a history of non-compliance with medication regimens and a significant genetic predisposition to drug metabolism variations. The patient has been on antihypertensives but has no detectable elevated blood pressure changes.
Factors That May Have Influenced Mr. Smith’s Pharmacokinetic and Pharmacodynamic Responses
Individualized Plan of Care:
Mr. Smith could have the individualized plan of care listed below based on the patient’s medical history and contributing factors:
American Geriatrics Society (2019). Beers Criteria Update Expert Panel. (2019). American Geriatrics Society 2019 updated AGS Beers criteria for potentially inappropriate medication use in older adults. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society Download Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 67(4), 674–694. https://doi.org/10.1111/jgs.15767
Rosenthal, L. D., & Burchum, J. R. (2021). Lehne’s pharmacotherapeutics for advanced practice nurses and physician assistants (2nd ed.) St. Louis, MO: Elsevier. https://evolve.elsevier.com/cs/product/9780323554954
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.
Please use the following scenario for this assignment:
Talk to you all soon!
To Prepare:
BY DAY 7 OF WEEK 1
Write a 2- to 3-page paper that addresses the following:
Reminder: The College of Nursing requires that all papers submitted include a title page, introduction, summary, and references. The College of Nursing Writing Template with Instructions provided at the Walden Writing Center offers an example of those required elements (available at https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter/templates/general#s-lg-box-20293632.). All papers submitted must use this formatting.
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
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