Prescription Errors
Order Instructions:
American writer Nikki Giovanni once said: “Mistakes are a fact of life. It is the response to the error that counts” (Goodreads, 2012). Whenever you make an error when writing a prescription, you must consider the ethical and legal implications of your error—no matter how seemingly insignificant it might be. You may fear the possible consequences and feel pressured not to disclose the error. Regardless, you need to consider the potential implications of non-disclosure. How you respond to the prescription error will affect you, the patient, and the health care facility where you practice. In this Assignment, you examine ethical and legal implications of disclosure and nondisclosure of personal error.
Consider the following scenario:
You are working as an advanced practice nurse at a community health clinic. You make an error when prescribing a drug to a patient. You do not think the patient would know that you made the error, and it certainly was not intentional.
To prepare:
•Consider the ethical implications of disclosure and nondisclosure.
•Research federal and state laws for advanced practice nurses. Reflect on the legal implications of disclosure and nondisclosure for you and the health clinic.
•Consider what you would do as the advanced practice nurse in this scenario including whether or not you would disclose your error.
•Review the Institute for Safe Medication Practices website in the Learning Resources. Consider the process of writing prescriptions. Think about strategies to avoid medication errors.
To complete:
Write a 2- to 3- page paper that addresses the following:
•Explain the ethical and legal implications of disclosure and nondisclosure. Be sure to reference laws specific to your state.
•Describe what you would do as the advanced practice nurse in this scenario including whether or not you would disclose your error. Provide your rationale.
•Explain the process of writing prescriptions including strategies to minimize medication errors.
This Assignment is due by Day 7 of this week.
SAMPLE ANSWER
Pharmacology: Prescription Errors
Errors of medication can have grave effects on patients. Prescribers and dispensers of medicines require being keen to avoid making mistakes in their practice. In terms of pharmacology, drugs are simply poisons if they are not used in a specific and appropriate manner. However, mistakes prescription mistakes still occur even if prescribers and dispensers of medicines are keen. When they occur, medication mistakes compromise patient safety. When prescription errors happen, healthcare providers should act in an ethical manner and take the appropriate actions. Patients may not realize when they take erroneous medications, and they solely rely on health professionals for their well-being.
Accepting and disclosing prescription errors to either the patient or the authorities operates within healthcare ethical principles. It could attract both understanding and misunderstanding if prescribers reveal their mistakes. Healthcare providers should apply moral guidelines to address errors that they make (Ghazel, Saleem, & Amlani, Pg. 2). Moral and ethical conduct demands that practitioners seek to resolve the problem first and then disclose their errors Ghazel, Saleem, & Amlani, Pg. 2). When practitioners commit medication errors, they find it hard to let their victimized patients know. While it could be ethically right to let patients know that they have taken wrong medication, disclosure could attract more trouble as patients may react in a hostile manner to express their dissatisfactions. On the other hand, patients may react by developing more trust in their care providers, if prescribers are honest with them (Ghazel, Saleem, & Amlani, 2014, Pg. 1). Regardless of the feared patient reactions, prescribers owe patients disclosure if mistakes occur. In the U.S, the bill of rights grants patient the right to know if they receive erroneous care from healthcare practitioners (Ghazel, Saleeem, & Amlani, 2014, Pg 1). It would be unethical if following fear of patients taking legal actions, prescribers protect themselves by concealing their mistakes. Both non-maleficence and beneficence principles of healthcare practice encourage disclosure of mistakes to patients (Ghazel, Saleem, & Amlani, 2014, Pg. 1). In addition to benefiting patients, disclosure of mistakes also benefits prescribers and hospitals. For instance, healthcare institutions could consider using methods that would minimize occurrence of medication errors, if practitioners report their errors (Ghazel, Saleem, & Amlani, 2014, Pg. 1). Again, prescribers earn more trust from their patients, if they let the patients know when errors occur.
Advanced practice nursing practitioners are guided by both federal and state laws. The Nursing Practice Act is the central institution that governs nursing practice in America. The Nursing Board guides nurses in interpreting acts that are not within Nursing Practice Act (American Nurses Association (ANA), 2015). Several laws monitor drug use and address cases of medication errors including those that occur during prescription. Advanced practice nurses and other prescribers are guided by the established laws on matters concerning use of medicines. In the U.S, FDA monitors medication errors through its Medication Errors Department. The agency receives concerns regarding use of medicinal substances including conventional medicines, healthcare devices, and medically-active biological compounds among other substances (HG.org, 2015). Other institutions and guidelines involved in control of medicine use in the States include National Institute of Health, the U.S Pharmacopoeia, and Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (HG.org, 2015).
In the scenario presented, I would disclose the prescription mistake I made to the patient. Patients have a right to know if medication errors occur. Advanced care nurses and other healthcare practitioners have the obligation to disclose prescription errors to patients from both legal and moral perspectives. Letting patients know about medication errors promotes their safety, and builds trust between clinicians and the patients. In addition to disclosing the mistake to the patient and the hospital management, I would also take corrective approaches to ensure that the patient is not harmed.
Writing Prescriptions
To avoid making mistakes, prescribers should apply strategies that are designed purposely to minimize chances of errors. To apply the appropriate strategies, prescribers should first obtain as much important patient information as possible. They should explore on patient factors that could compromise the normal functioning of the drugs. Understanding the physiological conditions of patients could, for instance, allow prescribers to determine possible adverse reactions. As such, prescribers would withdraw drugs that would not match the physiological status of the patients, and replace them with better alternatives. Performing a thorough and appropriate diagnosis also helps in minimizing prescription errors. With proper diagnoses, prescribers would not only determine the best medication, but they would also determine the most appropriate dosage and frequency. In diagnoses, prescribers should also assess patients for factors that could interfere with drug pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics. Activities such as smoking and alcoholism are known to interfere with medications, and prescribers should promote patient safety by assessing them before making prescriptions. In addition, prescribers need having adequate drug information before prescribing them to patients. Legible handwriting for prescribers could also help in minimizing medication errors, especially at the level of dispensing. Prescribers also minimize prescription errors by keeping reliable drug references. Paying attention to guidelines would also help reduce the occurrence of prescription errors. Usually, some medicines have special properties which could be important for both drug prescribers and dispensers to understand (Pharmacy Board of Australia, 2015, pg. 2).
References
American Nurses Association. (2015). State Law and Regulation. Retrieved from http://www.nursingworld.org/statelawandregulation
Ghazal, L., Saleem, Z., Amlani, G. (2014) A Medical Error: To Disclose or Not to Disclose. J Clin Res Bioeth, 5(174), 1-3. doi:10.4172/2155-9627.1000174
HG.org. (2015). Medication Error Law. Retrieved from http://www.hg.org/medication-errors-law.html#3
Pharmacy Board of Australia (2015, April 28). Guidelines for dispensing of medicines. Retrieved from http://www.pharmacyboard.gov.au/documents/default.aspx?record=WD10%2F2951&dbid=AP&chksum=WMyYdhKfX3%2BWGPiGUCLsMw%3D%3D
We can write this or a similar paper for you! Simply fill the order form!
