Ethical and Legal Implications of Prescribing Drugs
JJ is a 7-year-old male that has been dealing with asthma his entire life. Multiple treatments have been tried, which have helped symptoms, but nothing works completely. You are treating him and know of a study regarding a new asthma medication being developed. This new medication contains a bronchodilator/steroid/antihistamine as an inhalation. None of the drugs being studied have previously been approved for children under the age of 12. The study would last for 16 weeks.
Write a 2- to 3-page 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 prescriiptions, including strategies to minimize medication errors.
Sample Solution
The ethical and legal implications of the scenario described above involve all stakeholders involved, including the prescriber, pharmacist, patient, and family. As a healthcare provider who is prescribing medication to a minor patient in this case study, one must be aware of state regulations regarding prescription medications for children under 12 years old.
In addition to laws that regulate the use of medications for minors in a given state such as California, it is also important to note any potential ethical issues that may arise from participating in clinical studies or research involving new medications.
For example, if JJ’s parents agree to participate in the clinical trial for the new asthma medication containing bronchodilator/steroid/antihistamine as an inhalation, they need to have full disclosure about what participation might entail. This could include possible side effects or even long-term risks associated with using untested medications on young patients. The family should also be informed prior to consenting whether they would receive any compensation or other benefits from taking part in this trial.
In order to address disclosure and nondisclosure within this context of prescribing medication for minors, it is important that all stakeholders involved are fully informed about any potential risks that could be associated with taking part in clinical trials or research projects involving untested drugs. The patient’s family should also be notified beforehand if there will be reimbursement associated with their participation in said trial prior to signing off on giving permission for their child being treated by a certain drug regimen. Additionally, pharmacists should ensure proper labeling and packaging of all prescriptions so that patients do not accidentally take a different drug than intended (i.e., taking two doses instead of one).
As an advanced practice nurse guiding my decision-making concerning disclosing errors when writing prescriptions for patients like JJ, I believe transparency is essential when communicating with families about medical treatments available for their child(ren). It shows respect towards them as partners concerned about their child's health care decisions and allows me to better understand individual preferences related specifically toward each particular case presented before me. Furthermore by providing nonjudgmental feedback when discussing errors made while writing prescriptions helps ensure successful communication between myself and the patient/family now but also builds trust which facilitates future collaborations down the line if needed again upon return visits later down road hopefully leading up positive outcomes achievable through proper diagnosis accompanied by appropriate treatment plans derived amongst both parties present during discussion period.