NURS 6521 Assignment: Ethical and Legal Implications of Prescribing Drugs

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NURS 6521 Assignment: Ethical and Legal Implications of Prescribing Drugs

Assignment: 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?

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These are some of the questions you might consider when selecting a treatment plan for a patient.

Photo Credit: Getty Images/Caiaimage

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 NURS 6521 Assignment: Ethical and Legal Implications of Prescribing Drugs Assignment, you explore ethical and legal implications of scenarios and consider how to appropriately respond.

To Prepare

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  • 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 NURS 6521 Assignment: Ethical and Legal Implications of Prescribing Drugs 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.
By Day 7 of Week 1

Write a 2- to 3-page NURS 6521 Assignment: Ethical and Legal Implications of Prescribing Drugs 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.

Reminder: The School of Nursing requires that all papers submitted include a title page, introduction, summary, and references. The School 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.

Submission and Grading Information

To submit your completed Assignment for review and grading, do the following:

  • Please save your Assignment using the naming convention “WK1Assgn+last name+first initial.(extension)” as the name. NURS 6521 Assignment: Ethical and Legal Implications of Prescribing Drugs.
  • Click the Week 1 Assignment Rubric to review the Grading Criteria for the Assignment.
  • Click the Week 1 Assignment link. You will also be able to “View Rubric” for grading criteria from this area.
  • Next, from the Attach File area, click on the Browse My Computer button. Find the document you saved as “WK1Assgn+last name+first initial.(extension)” and click Open.
  • If applicable: From the Plagiarism Tools area, click the checkbox for I agree to submit my paper(s) to the Global Reference Database.
  • Click on the Submit button to complete your submission.

Rubric Detail

Select Grid View or List View to change the rubric’s layout.

Name: NURS_6521_Week1_Assignment_Rubric

Excellent Good Fair Poor
Explain 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.

NURS 6521 Assignment: Ethical and Legal Implications of Prescribing Drugs
23 (23%) – 25 (25%)

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.
20 (20%) – 22 (22%)

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.
18 (18%) – 19 (19%)

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.
0 (0%) – 17 (17%)

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.
Describe strategies to address disclosure and nondisclosure as identified in the scenario selected. Be sure to reference laws specific to your state.
18 (18%) – 20 (20%)

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.
16 (16%) – 17 (17%)

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.
14 (14%) – 15 (15%)

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.
0 (0%) – 13 (13%)

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.
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.
18 (18%) – 20 (20%)

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.
16 (16%) – 17 (17%)

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.
14 (14%) – 15 (15%)

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.
0 (0%) – 13 (13%)

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.
Explain the process of writing prescriptions including strategies to minimize medication errors.
18 (18%) – 20 (20%)
The response provides an accurate, detailed, and thorough explanation of the process of writing prescriptions, including detailed strategies to minimize medication errors.
16 (16%) – 17 (17%)
The response provides an accurate explanation of the process of writing prescriptions, including some strategies to minimize medication errors.
14 (14%) – 15 (15%)
The response provides an inaccurate or vague explanation of the process of writing prescriptions, including inaccurate or vague strategies to minimize medication errors.
0 (0%) – 13 (13%)
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.
Written 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 (5%) – 5 (5%)
Paragraphs and sentences follow writing standards for flow, continuity, and clarity.
4 (4%) – 4 (4%)
Paragraphs and sentences follow writing standards for flow, continuity, and clarity 80% of the time.
3.5 (3.5%) – 3.5 (3.5%)
Paragraphs and sentences follow writing standards for flow, continuity, and clarity 60%–79% of the time.
0 (0%) – 3 (3%)
Paragraphs and sentences follow writing standards for flow, continuity, and clarity less than 60% of the time.
NURS 6521 Assignment: Ethical and Legal Implications of Prescribing Drugs
Written Expression and Formatting – English writing standards:
Correct grammar, mechanics, and proper punctuation
5 (5%) – 5 (5%)
Uses correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation with no errors
4 (4%) – 4 (4%)
Contains a few (1–2) grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors
3.5 (3.5%) – 3.5 (3.5%)
Contains several (3–4) grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors
0 (0%) – 3 (3%)
Contains many (≥ 5) grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors that interfere with the reader’s understanding
Written 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 (5%) – 5 (5%)
Uses correct APA format with no errors
4 (4%) – 4 (4%)
Contains a few (1–2) APA format errors
NURS 6521 Assignment: Ethical and Legal Implications of Prescribing Drugs
3.5 (3.5%) – 3.5 (3.5%)
Contains several (3–4) APA format errors
0 (0%) – 3 (3%)
Contains many (≥ 5) APA format errors
Total Points: 100

Name: NURS_6521_Week1_Assignment_Rubric

As Nurse practitioner (NP), before prescribing medication to patients, it is the NP responsibility to gather data by taking thorough health history and performing physical examination. Doing this the NP will be able to properly diagnosis patient and provide correct treatment plan. Base on the federal law and regulations NP’s  are allowed to prescribe, dispense, or administer any schedule II, III, IV, or V narcotic medication, which includes methadone for pain management if the treatment is medically necessary and the pain believe to be real (Drug Enforcement Admnistration (n.d)).  Prescribing narcotics for friends or family members or for self are illegal, knowing your state rules and regulation is important. Each practitioner is responsible for knowing the law and regulations in the state of practice. Some states require physician signature on all prescriptions; other states on require physician signature on only controlled substance (Arcangelo and Peterson, 2013).  In the state on Texas where I live, NP practice in collaboration with physician to ensure consultant-referral type relationship (Arcangelo and Peterson, 2013).

Strategies to address disclosure and nondisclosure

In the above case scenario, reporting this issue will be the best route but the complication behind it will be the fear of losing one’s job or position NP as a whistle blower. A whistleblower is anyone who has and reports insider knowledge of illegal activities occurring in an organization ( Kenton, 2018).  I may suffer retaliation and uncomfortable when continuing to work with the individual. Before reporting the individual NP, I will first talk to her about her action of writing narcotic prescription for family member and the risk. NURS 6521 Assignment: Ethical and Legal Implications of Prescribing Drugs.

Stakeholders Involved

Looking at the above case scenario, the stakeholder involved are: the nurse practitioner herself, the pharmacist, the physician she’s working with, and the spouse who is the patient in this case. The practitioners faces ethical and legal pressures when it comes to prescribing medications, the NP should consider the pro and cons of prescribing medication like narcotic for her spouse and also examine if this act of practice aligns with the rules and regulation of the state she is practicing.  This NP act also put the license of the physician that she is working under at risk. Finally, the pharmacist’s responsibility when the medication is picked up at the pharmacy is to educate the patient the use of the prescribed medication and the contraindications.

                                            Strategies involved making my decision

In the healthcare professions, nurses face ethical situation most of the time when trying to do the right thing for the best outcome. First, when prescribing medications to patient it is important to do a thorough assessment, good data collection, education, and good communication. Secondly, it is important to know the law and regulations of the state you are practicing. In the state of Texas, NP’s are  require to register with the U.S Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) before prescribing controlled substances. They also have prescription monitoring program (PMP). NP in Texas operate under restricted practice conditions and must have and agreement with collaborating physician in order to prescribe controlled substances (Coalition for Nurses in Advance Practice, 2018).

The process of writing prescriptions and strategies to minimize medication errors

The NP need to evaluate and identify the patient’s problem to properly diagnose the patient. The first line of therapy will be to review the pathophysiology of the disease, then select the appropriate medication needed to be prescribed.

When prescribing medications, the NP is responsible for identifying the patient medication allergies and the type of reactions. NURS 6521 Assignment: Ethical and Legal Implications of Prescribing Drugs. The provider should be able to calculate dose correctly, be aware of sound alike or look alike drugs, remember the 5 R’s when prescribing. Taking all this extra precautions will help to prevent medication errors and adverse effects.

 

References

Arcangelo, V. P. & Peterson, A. M.(Eds.). (2013). Pharmacotherapeutics for advanced practice: A practical approach (3rd ed.). Ambler, PA: LippincottWilliams & Wilkins.

Drug Enforcement Admnistration.(n.d). Code of federal regulations.Retrieved June 7, 2017, from https://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/faq/prescriptions.htm

Kenton, W. (2018). Whistleblower. Retrieved from https://www.investopedia.com/terms/w/whistleblower.asp NURS 6521 Assignment: Ethical and Legal Implications of Prescribing Drugs

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