Application: The Ethics and
Legalities of Medication Error Disclosure
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.
