Nursing

Accountability of Nurses in Prescribing Medications and Drugs



Accountability of Nurses in Prescribing Medications and Drugs

Introduction

The role of hospital nurses in the administration of drugs has always been highly a highly importance, yet delicate and intricate process. The right dose, via the designated nurse, using the appropriate technique, respecting the specific time, are some of the important factors in the administration of prescribed medications properly. This assignment will discuss the responsibility and accountability of nurses in prescribing medications and drugs to patients.

Discussion

Literature Review

Role of Nurses in Prescribing Drugs

Currently, the knowledge of Prescription, though important have become secondary to the broader level of knowledge required for nurses (Courtenay & Butler 1999, pp. 45 - 90). It important that the nurse observe and interpret patient response to therapy, known incompatibilities and drug interactions, knowledge of the action and side effects of medications, as well as ethical and legal areas related to drug therapy (Nolan et al., 2004, pp. 33-8).

Many errors highlighted in the use of drugs are associated with prescription medications. Often these errors pertaining to prescription, most of them are due to environmental circumstances, which include the workload, i.e. the fact of having to do with patients who do not know (Courtenay & Butler 1999, pp. 16 - 65). Other causes can be traced back to the way in how medical practitioners fill in the medical records and the need to copy notes by hand, or to delete them. Other possible errors may be related to the prescription of a drug to which the patient is allergic to, without having first established a possible allergy or even a wrong rule for example, a dose too high compared to the circumstance (Milligan & Robinson 2003, pp. 54 - 67).

Additional risks and / or sources of error are represented by the absence of the drug in the department, lack of communication between the staff, from the calculation of the dose (in particular for pediatric therapies), the elimination of the package of the drug on which the expiration date is mentioned. In a chain of events that begins and ends with the prescription dose, it is useful that the flow of information occurs properly between the main figures involved: doctors, pharmacists and nurses (Maslen et al 1996, pp. 187-195).

The nursing autonomy achieved, recognized by law and guaranteed by training, empowers nurses in their actions, even if the doctor prescribes the drug to discard the prescribed medications, if the prescription is ambiguous or inappropriate and are therefore responsible to notify the physician.

Importance of Prescription

The prescription is a major medical procedure which refers to prescribing a treatment or medication on a document order. The physician's and nurses' responsibility in the prescription of drugs is closely linked to information requirements and the burden of providing sufficient evidence which consists in having successfully fulfilled the obligations (Kendrick 2000, pp. 200-201). Even if the nurse has fulfilled their responsibility, but the patient disputes the accuracy, the nurse is liable to provide proof of having fulfilled ...